Liquid Metal
by lady-warrioress
Summary: Set After Season 4. After a sequence of events two new mutants are added to the Xavier Institute. But trouble follows those who don't want it. Will Xavier realize it might have been a mistake? Coauthored with Tehmarishal
1. Chapter 1

CHapter 1

Professor Charles Xavier took a sip of his morning coffee as his eyes glanced across the morning headlines. There was nothing about mutants, which he considered to be a good thing. At least there wasn't any bad publicity or wild rumors or speculations going on at this time.

He glanced through the pages of the paper, not noticing anything of real interest and finally, after reading the comics, he set the newspaper aside. He then took another sip of his coffee and proceeded to eat his half-cold breakfast.

Normally he ate the morning meal in the company of the others, whether it was the students or a few of the teachers or a combination of each. This morning though he ate in solitude within the dining room, quite simply because he'd gotten up before everyone else. The sun had barely risen outside and its early morning rays were just pushing away the last of the nighttime darkness.  
The professor caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to see none other than Logan peering into the dining room. The corner of Xavier's mouth twitched into a slight smile as he regarded his old friend for a moment. "Aren't you up kind of early?" Charles asked mildly, a trace of humor in his voice.

"I couldn't sleep," he replied, stepping into the room.

Xavier put the paper aside and glanced at his searchingly. He did not use his telepathy and would not unless he was asked, but he was always ready to talk if any of his friends or students had something on their mind. The professor was there to help, after all. "Is something on your mind?" he asked, ignoring what little food remained on his plate. There wasn't much of his breakfast left anyway, barely more than table scraps.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I just have this bad feeling."

Charles frowned. He knew Logan quite well, especially since he'd been in his friends' mind before. "Can you be more specific?" the professor asked. He knew that the man known as "Wolverine" had been through a lot over his many years of life; he'd seen things that most of the students at this very school couldn't even imagine, not even after the battle with Apocalypse. He had more experience than anyone and the various hardships made Logan as tough as nails, yet he maintained his compassion and humanity. It was this trait that Charles truly admired.

"That's it. I don't know," he said. 'I just have this feeling. Maybe it's nothing." he walked over to the windows and looked out. "I think I'll go out later and see if I can find out why I feel like this. Just in case it is soemthing we should be worried about."

"Actually," the professor said, moving his wheelchair away from the table and approaching his friend, "I'm glad that you're here and that you've brought this up. There is something I need to discuss with you."

He looked down at him. "What?"

"There is something I need you to look into," Charles answered, meeting Logan's eyes evenly. "I received an information leak last night that makes me suspect there is something going on in a secret laboratory about thirty miles from here."

"Secret laboratory?' he frowned, not liking what that could mean.

"Yes," Charles said, touching his chin thoughtfully. "I learned that someone out there wants to 'upgrade' regular humans with a series of cybernetic enhancements, essencially turning these people into cyborgs in the hopes of giving humanity a 'leg up' against any potential mutant threat."

When the professor paused, he saw Logan's eyes darken a little. He knew that this subject might be a little close to home for his friend, considering that he knew what it was like to be experimented on and turned into something else. If nothing else, a silent agreement seemed to flow between them that this was a terrible thing to happen to anyone, human or mutant.

"I truly hope the reports I heard were wrong," Xavier went on before his friend could say anything. "However, I received word that they have a young woman there that they are conducting these experiments on. I would like someone to go there and infiltrate the lab to see what is going on. And..." He looked at Logan with a meaningful expression. "I had you in mind." Out of everyone, Wolverine had the most experience and he was the best at stealth tactics.

He was silent for a long moment then he finally nodded. "Got a map?'  
"No, but I know where the base is," Xavier told him. "It's located beneath an abandoned warehouse building near the center of the city. Look for a street called Yellow Stone and take a left, onto a smaller road called Rugged Howe."  
He nodded then stepped out of the room, heading to the garage where he'd parked his motorcycle.

Xavier watched him go, then he moved his wheelchair back over to the table and picked up his dishes. He took them over to the sink and placed them beside it so that they could be washed later.  
I need to leave soon, he thought to himself. Just last night he'd gotten a phone call from the parents of a teenage girl named Brooke Alice Walton, a 17-year-old whose mutant abilities had recently manifested themselves. Today he would leave Scott, Jean and Hank McCoy in charge while he went to speak with this family.

Logan gripped the handlebars of his motorcyle firmly as he pulled out of the garage and away from the Xavier Insitute. A low growl escaped his throat, muffled by the soft roar of the engine as he entered the right lane on the street. It was very subtle, but he could tell that somebody had been using his ride without his permission again. He wasn't entirely sure who it was, but he had his suspicions.

He shoved the thought out of his mind for now, but not before making a mental note to check into it later. Right now he needed a clear mind to focus on what he was doing, and years of training and experience had taught him how to do that.

His eyes stayed on the road, darting back and fourth occasionally as he observed traffic and pedestrians; he was in a hurry but he didn't want to risk hitting anyone. The entire ride took about thirty-five minutes, during which time he only allowed his mind to wander a little.

If they are experimenting on someone there, he thought to himself, I'm gonna stop them. It wasn't what Xavier had said to do, but then again the professor hadn't said much of anything on the matter.

I know how to read between the lines, though, he thought. After knowing Charles for all these years, Logan knew that he wouldn't stand for someone being experimented on... would he? If nothing else, Wolverine wasn't going to stand by and watch it happen. Charles' lack of advisement was probably the equivalent of him saying, "Use your own judgment in this matter".

Logan recognized his destination easily once he pulled onto Rugged Howe, simply because it was the only abandoned warehouse there. The building looked as though it was getting ready to fall down at the touch of a feather... or even a sneeze.

His eyes flashed as he parked his motorcycle and glanced around, taking in his surroundings with his vision and his sense of smell. Yep, there were definitely people here... and there had been several vehicles coming and going recently, judging from the tire tracks and the faint scent of gasoline and worn rubber. His sensitive nose also picked up something else... apparently a dog had relieved itself at the corner of the building recently. Not exactly something he needed-or wanted-to know, but the fact registered itself in his brain.

He hid his bike behind a couple of bushes, keeping his nose and ears alert. Once he was certain that it was concealed, he extended the metal claws from his right hand and used them to rip a vent grate out of the wall. The vent was just barely large enough for him to enter and he felt his large shoulders pressing against the top of it, but he ignored the minor discomfort. It was hardly worse than the pain he felt whenever he extended his claws, and he'd been enduring that for decades.

He had no idea where he was going yet or what he was getting himself into. Isn't that the way it always is? he thought.

She had no idea what was going on. Vague images and impressions flashed through her mind, sometimes like brief bursts of light or wisps of smoke. She groaned in discomfort yet didn't hear the sound. Her throat had tightened and moved when she made the sound, so perhaps she had made the noise. She couldn't be certain, though.

A scientist, a man with short brown hair and large rimmed glasses looked up from his work when he heard he move. He frowned and walked over to her. Was she waking up? He hoped not. They weren't finished yet.

He paused then leaned over her and gave her a poke. "Are you awake?' he asked.  
Her eyelids flickered a couple of times, then flew wide. It took her only a moment to realize that she was restrained on the surface of a metal table, with a metal clamp securing each of her ankles and wrists in place. She tested the restraints briefly and gasped in horror as she continued to look around, basking in her new surroundings.

"Where am I?" she demanded in a fear-filled voice. "What's happening? What are you doing to me?" She was nearly hysterical now.

"Now, now, just calm down," the man said. "You won't do us or yourself any good going into hysterics. If you just take a few deeps breaths and calm yourself I'll tell you what you need to know."

Her eyes were still as wide as saucers, and she seemed less than reassured as she looked at the restraints. She did, however, suck in a couple of deep breaths and let them out slowly. When she spoke, she was a little calmer. "Am I a prisoner?" she asked. "Why am I being held to this table?"

"It's just a precaution," another voice said just then. A tall man with graying hair stepped into view. He had distinguished features and he wore a white lab coat over a tuxedo. "We weren't sure if you'd be in control of yourself or not when you awoke."

"So you tied me down?" The woman's fearful tone was now mixed with indignation.  
"We'll explain everything in a moment," the newcomer said. "I'm Dr. Zane and this is my assistant, Walter." With that, he turned to the said assistant.

"Walter, is everything... prepared?" His forehead wrinkled a little, and there was an intensity in his eyes that made the woman suspect that there was something he was asking his assistant that he didn't want her to know about.  
The man nodded. 'Yes, sir." he said.

"But is it ready to activate?" Zane pressed, then leaned in closer to whisper something else to his assistant, something that the woman could not hear.  
He looked at the computer screen. "It should be," he said.

"What are you talking about?" the woman demanded.

Zane spared her a quick glance and then seemed to dismiss her question entirely, as if she didn't deserve an answer. "Prepare to activate her brain implants and call me when you're ready to test the control chip," he told Walter. "I'll be in my office getting some lunch." With that he walked out.  
"Wait, what?" the woman half-shouted. "Brain implants, control chip, WHAT?" But Zane was already gone, leaving her alone with his assistant and the instructions he'd left behind.

Walter turned to her. "There's no need to get hysterical," he told her. "It's for your own good anyway."

"No!" she snapped, tugging at the restraints. "Whatever you're doing-you can't!"

"I'm afraid we can." he walked over to the computer and began typing. He looked up at the screen as something began to load. "There."

She continued to protest for a moment longer, but then her expression changed. Her eyes became unfocused and she slumped down against the table again. Walter began to monitor her closely, but he knew what she was probably going through. These tests had been done on a couple of monkeys before they reached this point, and the animals had suffered from severe dizziness and nausea during this part of the process.

Right at that moment the intruder alarm began to blare throughout the base.  
Walter cursed. This wasn't a good time. "Now what?' he clicked away at the keyboard until images from the security cameras popped up on the screen.  
What he saw was a stocky, muscular man slipping past the security drone near the door-then using large, steel-like claws to slash through it when it attempted to open fire. Then in the next instant the figure turned to look straight at the camera. Walter tensed, almost feeling as though those dark, piercing eyes were looking straight through the lens and at him.  
With an animal growl, the man jumped up and his steely claws flashed, then the image went blank.

Walter cursed and turned from the screen. He ran over to a phone and dialed the number to his boss's office.

"Yes, yes, what is it?" came the impatient voice of Dr. Zane.  
On the lab table, the woman was starting to cough and wretch; Walter hoped she wasn't going to throw up.

"Umm.. sir. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we have an intruder."

"Oh and you think I couldn't tell by the alarms blaring all over the place?" came Zane's angry retort. "Whatever or whoever has infiltrated the building is making short work of our security systems. Take the subject out of there and get her to safety-nothing else matters."

"Okay." he hung up the phone and went over to the girl. He pressed a button that released her and started to help her up. He slipped an arm around her waste and his other arm around her shoulders to support her as he moved her... then she lurched, and her stomach chose that moment to relieve itself of its contents... all over the front of his nice clean lab coat.

Walter made a face. How disgusting. He chose to ignore the mess on his coat for now. getting her out of there was far more important. He began to walk her toward the exit door.

Just as he neared the exit he caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. Two fully armed guards were thrown against the wall and slid down to the floor, unconscious. Then the muscular man with the steel claws that he's seen on the security camera rounded the corner and came into full view. The man looked like an animal somehow, yet had intelligent and calculative eyes, like a wolf planning its next move.

Walter stared at him for a long moment, not sure how exactly to react. His brain seemed to have shut down at that moment.  
"Let her go," the intruder growled simply, taking a menacing step forward.  
Walter took a step back, his eyes widening behind his glassed. "I'm afraid that is impossible," he told him.

"You better make it possible, bub," the muscular creature said, then dashed forward.

The man yelped in surprise then made a run for the door, though the girl prevented him from going very fast. He cursed. Why couldn't she regain her senses enough to at least walk on her own?  
The other man-or whatever he was-easily caught up to them and grabbed Walter by the scruff of his neck, pinning him face-first against the wall. "Let her go," he growled, taking care to try and get the woman away from him without hurting her.

Walter's brain seemed to have gone into stand by. He merely stared at him with wide eyes. "Don't hurt me."

"Let me take her, and I won't hurt you," came the low, gruff reply. The girl moaned as if in response to everything that was going. She began to gag again, her eyes half-shut.

Yes, that sounded like a great idea. "She's yours." Walter was never known for his bravery.

The intruder took the girl into his arms as Walter released his grip on her. Just as the brute-like creature secured his hold on her... her stomach lurched again. Thankfully though she didn't hurl this time.

Wolverine took one last look at Walter and then turned and headed out of the nearest exit with the girl in his arms. He ran to the spot where he'd stashed his motorcycle... only to find that it was not there. He growled in annoyance, wondering who could have moved it and where it was.  
A shot was fired; more security men were coming after him. He glanced around and then quickly decided that he couldn't hang around, not if he wanted to protect the girl. He began to run.

Charles Xavier maneuvered his powered wheelchair to the front doorstep of the Walton household. Once he reached the door he rapped his knuckles against it three times.

A few seconds passed, then the door opened. A pretty dark-skinned woman with black hair appeared. Her earlobes dazzled with pearl earrings and she had on a blue blouse. "Yes?" she asked aloud as she peered out the door, looking down at him.

"Hello," the professor greeted. "I am Charles Xavier of the Xavier Institute for gifted students. You are Mrs. Walton, I presume?"

She gave a little nod. "Yes, I'm the one who called you last night. Please," she invited as she swung the door wide open, "come on in."

A few minutes later both of them were in the living room, where Mrs. Walton served each of them some tea. "Thank you for coming," the woman said, though she seemed a little uneasy.

"Where is your husband?" Charles asked curiously, trying to make conversation.

"Upstairs," Mrs. Walton sighed. "Brooke hasn't wanted to come out of her room ever since... well, what happened at her school."

"May I ask what exactly happened?" Xavier asked in a kind voice. He took a sip of his tea as the woman hesitated, trying to gather her thoughts.

"Well," she began, "the first thing you need to know is that we only moved into this neighborhood a few days ago. It worked out because it's closer to where my husband works anyway, and when we found out about your school for mutant children... we felt that it might be the best thing for her. Especially since the school she was attending expelled her and none of her old friends will talk to her anymore."

Charles nodded gravely. Unfortunately this was the kind of thing he heard about often, every time he went to speak with a possible new recruit. But that was what he was here for; to help those who didn't fit in with regular humans, to help them learn to control their powers and find their place in the world. "So she used her powers at school, accidentally, I take it?" he pressed gently.

"Yes." Mrs Walton sighed. She hadn't even taken a sip of her tea, she simply twirled the teaspoon around in her fingers as she held the cup. "I don't know exactly what happened and I can't get Brooke to talk about it much. But from what the school principal said, apparently she somehow made all of the faucets and toilets..." Her face scrunched up as she tried to find the right word. "Well... she made them erupt. Not explode or anything like that, she just made water gush out of them, to the point where it flooded the entire girls' restroom and flooded out into the hall."

"Hmmm," Xavier mused thoughtfully. "It sounds like her mutant power is to control water. She can be taught to control this, if she is willing to learn."

Brooke's mother shook her head gravely. "I hope she'll be willing to give it a try," she said slowly. "My own Grandmother was a mutant, and I saw was it was like for her to try and live her life while hiding the fact that she was different. I just don't want my daughter to go through that. I want her to have a chance to be around others like her."

"We will do everything possible to make her feel welcome, and to help her adjust to this new stage of her life," Xavier vowed softly.

"Please do," Mrs. Walton pleaded. "It's hard enough for a normal human teenager to find their place in life and... just to grow up. I want this to be as easy for Brooke as possible."

Anything Professor Xavier might have said next was cut off when both of them heard voices upstairs. The voices weren't really yelling, but they were speaking loudly enough so that they could be heard.

"Brooke, you can't just spend the rest of your life here in your room," came a voice that most likely belonged to Mr. Walton. "I want you to come downstairs with me and get something to eat."

"No!" Brooke shouted from inside the room. "I'm not coming out! I'll never come out of here ever again! If you want me to eat bring the food up to me!"

"Brooke I want you to come out of this room right now," the male voice persisted. "I won't let you lock yourself away from the world like this."

"I'm never coming out! The world doesn't want someone like me anyway so why can't I just hide from it!"

"Oh dear," Mrs. Walton sighed with a knowing shake of her head.

Then Mr. Walton raised his voice even more. "I am going to count to three and you better open this door!" he shouted. "One..."

"Or you'll do what?" she called back. "Come in here and spank me? I'm too old for that!"

"Oh don't tempt me!" her dad barked back. "I'm still counting! Two..."

"If you come in here I'll flood the house!"

"No you won't! Two and a half..." Somehow it seemed like Mr. Walton's conviction was starting to falter a little.

Mrs. Walton gave Xavier a look that said, "I'm sorry you have to hear this" and took a nervous sip of her tea.

"No! Just leave me alone!" There was a loud rumbling in the pipes.  
"I'll be back in five minutes," her dad finally said. His footsteps could be heard moving down the stairs. "And you better come down here before then."

"He's trying to save face and prevent water damage to the house," Mrs. Walton whispered to the professor, who raised an eyebrow.

"I don't need five minutes!" a second later they saw somebody in torn blue jeans as a pink tank top by the front window.

"Brooke!" Mrs. Walton half-shouted, already moving toward the front door to catch her daughter.

Xavier let out a muted cough, staying right where he was and casually sipping his tea as he listened to the family drama going on around him. Just as Mrs. Walton went out the front door, Mr. Walton appeared, having just come down the stairs.

"Ugh, that girl," he growled, then immediately straightened when he spotted the professor. "Oh, you must be the man my wife called last night," he said.

"Indeed I am," Charles nodded.

"I am so sorry you had to hear that," the man sighed warily. "Ever since this whole thing started, well..."

"Don't worry about it," the professor said gently, placing a comforting hand on Mr. Walton's arm. "I think that every family goes through something like this."  
Mr. Walton still looked tense, but he seemed to relax a little. "Well, good to know I'm not alone, at least," he finally said. "But I'm not sure how well this is gonna go. I mean, Brooke won't come out of her room."

"Actually..." Charles glanced indicatively toward the window. "She did."  
"What?"

As if in response, both of them heard the front door slamming shut. "You come with me right this instant, young lady!" Xavier blinked at the sound of Mrs. Walton's voice. If anything, she sounded more frustrated than her husband had and far more firm.

"Let go of me!" Brooke shouted. "You're hurting me! I can wlak on my own, you know!"

"Not if you're just going to walk out of the house again! Stop squirming and come into the living room with me!"  
Now it was Mr. Walton's turn to cast an apologetic glance at the professor, and he looked toward the doorway with concern and wariness.

"Fine! I'll go into the living room! Now just let go!"

"Go on, then. Someone came all this way to see you, and you're the one who's keeping him waiting!"

The door opened and Brooke stepped into the room. She frowned, expressing her displeasure with an annoyed expression. She walked over to the sofa but paused when she spotted the professor. 'hey... aren't you that guy with the school?'  
Professor Xavier faced her fully now, nodding and offering her a small smile. "Yes, I am. My name is Charles Xavier. Would you tell me your name?"

Right at that moment Mrs. Walton appeared in the doorway, appearing flustered and annoyed. Her current feelings became even more evident when she snapped, "I already told you her name on the phone; Brooke Alice Walton. And Brooke," she added, looking directly at her daughter, "you better be good or I-"

"Honey," Mr. Walton interrupted and stepped forward, placing his hands on his wife's shoulders in an attempt to sooth her. "Shh now, it's okay... just let them get acquainted, okay?"

For a moment it looked like Mrs. Walton would simply pull away, but then she stopped and looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry," she murmured as weariness seemed to settle over her like a heavy cloak. "It's just... these past few days... all of that moving, and... and..."

"I know," her husband comforted, pulling her close. "Come on, let's go into the kitchen and leave them alone, okay?" He used a free hand to stroke her hair, getting some of it out of her face.

She inhaled, exhaled slowly, then nodded. "Yeah, okay." She glanced toward Brooke and the professor. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely before her husband led her out of the room.

Once they were gone and the door had closed behind them, Charles turned to look at the blue-haired girl in front of him. "As you can see," he said lightly,  
"you're not the only one being effected by this. Your parents are dealing with it, too."

"I know," she said, sitting down. "But at least they are normal. I'm a freak."

"You're not a freak," Charles told her. "There are many of people at my Institute who are just like you... just like us, actually," he added indicatively.

"Just like us huh?" she asked, her tone saying more than her words. "So your school is full of mutant freaks that society hates for no real reason."

"The school offers opportunities you can't find anywhere else," Xavier told her, trying to show her the bright side. "You can be around other people who know exactly what you're going through, people your own age. And you can learn to use your powers for the benefit of humanity. My hope and belief is that one day, people will no longer fear mutants just because we are different."  
"I don't see why they gotta fear us anyway," she said. "It's already hard for me being who I am, being black and all. I'm the only African American in my entire school!"

"They fear what they do not understand," the professor said. "That is the problem with anyone who is even remotely different. The key to helping others understand you is by learning to understand yourself first. Do you want to do that?"

"Sure, I guess," she said, shrugging.

"Then would you like to come with me? I can introduce you to some people I think you will like very much," the professor smiled.

She shrugged again. It couldn't hurt. "I guess so."

He held his hand out toward her, offering to shake. "Then let me be the first to welcome you to the Xavier Institute," he said warmly.

She hesitated a moment then took his hand. 'I hope this is worth it."  
"If you give a chance, I'm sure it will be," he answered her, giving her hand a grandfatherly squeeze before releasing it. "Now, shall we tell your parents your decision?"

"We might as well," she said, standing up. 'They're bound to find out anyway." she meant it as a joke but it didn't sound all that funny.


	2. Chapter 2

CHapter 2

Jill was finally beginning to come to her senses. The dizziness and nausea were wearing off for the most part, although there was something strange going on with her vision and there was an odd ringing in her ear. She tried to tune it out as she focused on her surroundings.

It seemed as though she was being carried through... a field? Or maybe a park, considering the trees. She groaned softly and shifted a bit, then heard a grunt from whoever was carrying her.

Wolverine paused a moment, looking around himself, familiarizing himself with his surroundings. He sniffed the air, catching a brief wiff of the people who were following them. So far they were too far away to be a problem. He growled softly and continued running.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jill exclaimed, struggling a little in his arms. "Where are you taking me?" She had no idea who was carrying her or what was going on.  
"Don't worry, kid," he said talking as he ran. "I'm a friend."

"No I want to know what's going on," she insisted, looking around. She did not like being carried or especially held against her will. "What's happening to me?"

Logan said nothing. He couldn't answer her question because he honestly didn't know. "Don't worry about it," he said. "We'll figure that out after we've lost our pursuers."

"Wait a minute," she blurted. "We're being chased?" Vivid memories began to flood through her mind. Being strapped to the lab table, a geek with coke-bottle glasses punching commands into a computer, something about brain implants and then being overcome with a weird sickness...

"No, put me down right now!" She began to squirm in his arms, wanting nothing more than to have her two feet on the ground if nothing else.

Logan growled with frustration. "Stop wiggling!"

He had a secure hold on her, she had to admit. She grunted and gripped his arm with her hand. He had such thick, muscular arms-she could even feel something hard and rigid beneath, like... metal?-and she dug her fingers into his flesh, expecting her weak, skinny fingers to have little impact on his big, strong arms.

However, that simple action had a result that neither of them expected; she actually gripped his arm in a firm, bone-crushing grip as if the power and strength of a bulldozer had been encased within her small arm.  
He obviously wasn't expecting that. He let out a roar of pain, instantly dropping her onto the ground.

She landed on her backside in a grunt of discomfort and instantly moved into a position that was almost like a crouch. She froze, her eyes darting briefly toward Wolverine and then toward the hand she'd used. Her eyes were mouth and her lips parted with shock as she stared at her fingers, staring at them as if she'd never seen them before. Her gaze darted back and fourth between her hand and the form of Wolverine as he recovered from her bone-crushing grip; she remained completely motionless, as if frozen to her spot.

Logan looked at her, gripping his hurt arm. 'What did you do?" he demanded, sounding angry.

She sucked in a deep breath that became an unintentional gasp. Jill felt scared out of her wits and was positive that she felt the same way. It took a moment, but she finally recognized who this person was. She'd seen his face a few times on the news reports though she had never actually seen him before. It was one of the mutants! What was his name... Werewolf? Wolfmutt?

"I-I'm sorry!" she cried, shrinking against the ground and holding her arm away from herself as if it now frightened her as much as the man in front of her.  
Wolverine moved toward her and grabbed her arm, scrutinizing it carefully. "hmm..."

"Wh-what?" Jill tensed. She did not like him touching her, but she suddenly liked her arm-or whatever it had done-even less. What in the world did those people back at that lab do to her anyway?

He looked at her, frowning. "I might have an idea what happened to you," he said finally.

"What?" she squeaked, her voice cracking timidly.

He didn't answer her. Instead he pulled her to her feet and pulled on her arm, forcing her to walk with him. "Come on."

She hesitated and then reacted, digging her feet in the ground. He pulled her along for a few feet but they both slowed down considerably. Finally she stopped moving her feet and planted them firmly on the soil, pulling back a little. After a moment, Wolverine was unable to budge her much, at least not at his normal pace.

He glanced back at her, frowning. "What now?"  
"I want answers," she said. "And I want to know where you're taking me. How do I know I won't end up in another lab or something?" She yanked her arm, trying to escape his grasp.

He held firm, though her movement nearly pulled him off his feet. He sighed. "Listen, kid," he said. "Why would I take you from a place like that just to take you to another place that's exactly the same? Does that even make sense?"

He had her there. "No," she replied after a moment, "I guess it doesn't." She stopped fighting him and allowed him to lead her along again, and they resumed their quickened pace. "But why are you helping me?" she wanted to know.

"Because I know what it's like to be treated as an experiment."

"An... experiment? Is that what I am?" She gasped again.

"That's what it seems like." he sighed. "What did they do to you in there anyway?'

"I... I don't know," she replied honestly, her eyes growing wide again. "They said something about brain implants and a control chip, and they did something that made me sick. I don't know anything else!"

"Hmmm..." he thought a moment then turned away, still gripping ehr arm. "Come on. Once we get home we can find out what exactly they did to you."

"Where is home?" she asked. "And what's your name?" She began to quicken her pace so that she moved beside him instead of just behind him.

"Not far," he said to the first question. 'and call me Logan."

"Um... I'm Jill," she blurted out. "Nice to meet you, I guess."

****

Xavier's vehicle arrived at the front of the Institute, allowing the professor and the newest recruit to get out and approach the entrance. Charles watched the girl out of the corner of his eye as he moved his wheelchair toward the door.

Once they entered the mansion, the girl seemed to take in her new surroundings intently. "How do you like the place so far, Brooke?" Xavier asked her mildly.

"Well, it's... big," she said, unable to say much else. She still wasn't that happy to be here but she'd promised to give it a shot so that was exactly what she'd do.

"Indeed it is," Xavier nodded with a warm smile. "Come, let's go to my office and we can talk more there."

"All right," she said, nodding."lead the way."  
A few minutes later they arrived at the professor's office, where Xavier moved behind his desk and indicated Brooke to take a seat. "So tell me a little about yourself," he invited warmly.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, sitting down in the chair.

"I'd like to use this as a chance for us to get to know each other," the professor replied. "Perhaps we could start with something simple. Do you have any hobbies? What is your favorite passtime?"

"So it's ask and tell then,." she folded her arms and leaned back. "I like to paint."

The professor seemed mildly curious and intrigued. "Do you want to be an artist someday?" he asked.

"I don't know." she shrugged. "I just do it to relieve stress."

"Well, I'm sure we all have things we do in order to relax," Charles said with a nod. "Anyway, are there any questions you have about the Institute? Anything you'd like to know?" he asked, trying a different tactic to see if he could get her to open up a little.

"Yeah," she leaned forward. 'Why did you make this place anyway?"

"Because people like us need a place like this," he replied. "People your age can come here and learn how to control their powers. There are teachers here who can help you learn things you couldn't learn anywhere else."

"You say 'us'," she said. 'So I guess that means you're one too."

"Yes. I am telepathic, as well as psychic." He cocked his head to one side.

"And I understand you can manipulate water?"

"If you want to call it that," she said. 'So far it only happens when i get upset and then it's like a volcano going off. Not that fun or awesome if you ask me. Just a big inconvenience."

"Everyone here has had a similar experience," Xavier said gravely, his voice full of compassion and understanding. "Take me, for instance. When I was your age, my telepathic powers began to manifest themselves. I saw things in people's minds that I should never have seen."

'Like what?" she asked. "The perverted mailman picturing your mother in the nude?"

Charles gave a little snort. "Not exactly," he told her. His memory drifted back to when he was a young man, for the first time in a while. It was ironic, considering he spent so much time around young people and yet he spent so little time thinking of his own youth.

Then again, it was hard to think about the past, considering everything that had happened with his brother and, when he became an adult, his marriage that ended in divorce. Yes... it was much better to focus on the present.  
"I remember there was a girl, back in school, who had a crush on me," he began, his eyelids half-closing as he thought back on a long-buried memory. "I could tell because of my telepathy. The only problem was that I didn't like her. I thought she was ugly because of the freckles on her nose and cheeks, and the way she wore her hair. And being the immature lad I was back then... I simply used it to humiliate her." The professor closed his eyes briefly, obviously pained by the memory.

"You thought she was ugly because she had freckles?' she rose an eyebrow. "That's a bit... materialistic.."

"Yes, it was," Xavier agreed. "And I saw what she felt, and what she was thinking... even the fantasies she dreamed up involving her and me. I gossiped about these daydreams of hers in vivid detail to every other boy and girl in our class, and they teased her about it. And..." A shame-filled expression crossed his face as he continued. "I liked how fun it was to make the other kids laugh, because they seemed so... entertained by it all. So I began to read other people's minds, and soon I was gossiping everyone's personal and embarrassing secrets for my own amusement, and for the entertainment of others. Eventually a lot of the other kids began to fear me, even to hate me, because they had no idea how I was getting these secrets or who's secrets I was going to tell next." He hung his head a little, obviously embarrassed and pained over the stupid things he'd done during his teenage years.

"Well I can sort of understand their feelings," she said. 'nobody likes people telling others their personal thoughts. That's why they're private."  
He nodded. "I was just fortunate I learned that eventually, before it was too late," he said. "And trust me. If I could learn to behave myself and control my powers, and to blend in with the common folk, so can you."

'I was blending in with them just fine until that stupid brat Lola had to go and get on my case."

"What did Lola do to you?" Xavier asked, gently taking the opportunity to get her to open up more.

"She got me alone in the bathroom and well." she sighed. 'We both liked the same guy. She was jealous because he asked me out and not her. She couldn't believe Robert would pick a blackie over someone with his own skin color."

"And that's when your mutant powers revealed themselves for the first time," Xavier deduced aloud.

"I guess you could say that," she shrugged again. "It only seemed to prove her point anyway."

"What happened at your school, after that incident?" he pressed gently.

"Ever see what happens to a baby chicken after it's broken it's leg and you put something on it and send it back to the others?" she asked. 'You know what they do to it after that?"

"Yes," Xavier answered, his voice growing a little rougher with emotion. "I believe I do. But Brooke, I promise you that you won't have to deal with any of that here. In this place, you are normal and you will be accepted."

"Until I get mad and accidentally flood the place."

"There have been worse accidents here before," the professor told her. "Trust me. As long as you do your best, any mistake you make will not be held against you. And you are allowed to make mistakes; it comes with the territory of getting better and learning how to control your powers."

"If you say so." she still wasn't convinced.  
He sighed inwardly but simply flashed another warm, grandfatherly smile at her. Some kids just needed time to adjust, especially ones who'd gone through as much as this girl had. "Come," he told her, beginning to move away from his desk. "I'll show you to your room, and a little later I'll have someone show you around, okay?"

She nodded. "All right." she stood up.

With that, they left the office together.

*****

Jill flinched and let out a little scream when she heard a gun shot erupt behind her and Wolverine. She tensed and looked behind her, then looked every which way to try and figure out where it was coming from.  
Logan growled. Now what? He looked back the way they came.

"Hold it right there," a voice called out. Jill finally caught sight of several armed figures moving toward them. "I don't know who you are," the ringleader said, "but the girl comes back with us." The air was filled with the sound of rifles being cocked.

"I don't think so, bub."

That was when all hell seemed to be break loose. Wolverine moved like a flash of lightening, slashing left and right with his steely claws. Jill screamed but remained motionless, watching the action playing out before her in a fascinated horror. In just two swipes of his hands, Wolverine sliced two rifles in half and rendered them useless. Two other men fired; Logan dodged one bullet and the other merely grazed his shoulder as he made his moves.

The two newly disarmed men were sent running and the two who'd fired their guns were unconscious very shortly. That left one final guard standing. He took one look at Wolverine, then began to aim his gun in the direction of the girl.  
Jill's eyes went absolutely wide. Wolverine moved quickly, knocking the rifle aside before it could fire and then slamming his hand into the man's face, sending him crashing against the ground.

"I'm getting out of here!" Jill panicked and she began to run, very fast. Faster than she ever had in her life.

Logan watched her go. '"Oh great." Just what he didn't need. He gave chase, pulling the claws back into his hands.

Jill heard someone pursuing her and stole a quick glance over her shoulder, then continued running. Even as she continued to move she began to notice something very odd. The sounds around her began to get louder, to the point where seemed to pound inside her ears and within her very skull, as if they were amplified tenfold. Even the sounds of her own rushing footfalls and breathing seemed to get louder and louder.

Because of this she wasn't watching where she was going and she ended up tripping over a risen tree root. Since she'd been going so fast, she ended up tumbling head over heels and was sent rolling for several yards, until she finally came to a stop in some long grass beneath a large oak tree, square in the center of the park.

Noises seemed to persist in her ears, then finally died down until everything seemed normal again. Slowly, almost tentatively, she raised her head out of the grass. What in the world was going on with her?

Her fall had enable Logan to catch up with Her. He paused, standing over her and frowned.

She looked up at him for a moment, then scowled. "I tripped," she said and then realized how stupid and obvious that was. She shoved herself up out of the grass and brushed herself off.

"Not very light on your feet, are you?" he asked.

She gave him another look but otherwise ignored him, except for something that sounded like "Whatever." She then turned to look at him. "Those people back there were shooting at me!" She took another quick look around, then looked back at Logan. "Um... which way?" she asked, looking a little nervous again.  
"Follow me." then he began to walk away, but not before grabbing her arm to make sure she wouldn't try running away.

"You don't have to do that," she grumbled, giving her arm a brief pull in protest, but she did not attempt to slow them down in any way.

He paused, turning back to her. "Are you going to come along willingly then so I don't?"

"Yes, I promise," she said. "I don't need a leash."

'Good." he let her go.

With that, they proceeded to move quickly, side by side with Jill only slightly behind. "How much longer until we get to wherever we're going?" she asked.  
"It would go by faster if you didn't ask me that every few minutes."

Jill decided to shut up and just keep moving. They pressed onward at the pace that Logan had set, and part of Jill's mind was astonished that she could keep on running, for as long as she did and as fast as she was running. Another part of her mind was just plain scared and confused, and she was happy to put as much distance between herself and whoever was chasing her.

She had no way to keep track of time and she had no idea how long they had been running. Finally, when she saw the sight of a large mansion in the distance, she instinctively knew that that was their destination, especially since they were headed right for it.

Her heart began to pound in her chest as she began to pick up speed, running faster. She even began to pass Logan as her feet started to move more quickly than his.

He let her. It wasn't like they weren't going the same direction anyway.  
Somehow she managed to gain a full twelve feet ahead of him before she finally reached the front entrance. She cast a brief glance over her shoulder in his direction, then went right up to the gate, skidding to a stop just before it.  
Even though she was in what she perceived to be relative safety now, she was still frightened and confused, and in a "fight or flight" mode. She had never fought anyone in her life and didn't want to. So she simply did the first thing she could think of to do, even if it was stupid; she dove toward the gate's door and plopped herself down on the ground right beside it, out of sight of anyone outside. Hopefully, anyway.

Logan finally reached the door. He looked down at her, frowning. "What are you waiting for?"

Jill looked up at him. She glanced down at herself and quickly realized how silly she must have looked. Her medium-length brown hair was all over the place, some of it in her face while the rest of it spilled over her shoulders and back. Either way, it was a partial, tangled mess by now. She was also sitting with her back to the wall, pressed tightly beside the door, with her knees up and her arms wrapped around them.

"Just... catching my breath," she lied. That was when she realized, to her astonishment, that she wasn't breathless at all. Somehow she had just ran for miles and miles, as a very fast pace, and she felt like she had simply taken a casual stroll down the sidewalk.

He made a sound in his throat then shrugged, turning to the door.  
She continued to gaze up at him. "Is anybody coming?" she asked warily.  
Wolverine pressed a small button on the one column by the closed gate. "Anybody mind letting me back in?'

Her head snapped up briefly. Who was he talking to?

A few moments later, the gate automatically opened, as though an invisible force had told it to open. Or perhaps someone had pushed a button inside the mansion and released it. Jill blinked, and began to feel a little unsure again. That building in the distance beyond the gate looked huge and somehow inviting, but she couldn't help but wonder... once she moved past that gate, would she just be a prisoner again? Now that she had been chased across the city, shot at, nearly killed, and had God-only-knows-what happen to her body... she only wanted two things. Her freedom, and to find out what the heck those people did to her.

After the gate swung open, she looked up at Logan uncertainly, staying exactly where she was on the ground.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked her a second time.

"I want to know what's going to happen to me once I pass through that gate," Jill told him honestly. "I mean... you and whoever else is in that building... you're not going to hold me prisoner or poke and prod me all over or something, are you?"

'I can assure you nothing of the sort will happen to you here."

Jill's mind involuntarily wandered to imagine what it might have been like back in that lab, with gloved hands doing who-knew-what to her limbs and possibly other areas to her body, possibly even sticking her with needles or wires or who-knew-what-else. She shuddered at the thought, knowing that she had been violated in a way. People had touched her and done things to her without her permission.

She looked up at Logan again. For the first time, she realized that in a way he was the closest thing she had to a friend right now, and he had gone out on a limb to rescue her and get her this far. Still... she felt like she needed something a little more, perhaps an extra piece of reassurance. "Do you promise?" she asked him seriously. She met his eyes then, making it clear that if he did promise, she would hold him to it.  
"I promise."

She regarded him a moment longer, then slowly pulled herself off the ground and then faced him. "You first," she stated casually.

He stared at her. Something told him she might try to make a break for it if he went in before she did. "Ladies first."

"Okay," she said, after a moment's hesitation. Now, she realized, it was time to either go ahead and trust him, and accept his word, or make a break for it. She figured she had a fair chance of outrunning him, but... where would she go? This seemed like the safest place, that she knew of at least... unless she wanted to go to the police.

"Okay," she repeated, and this time she moved through the gate. It wasn't like she had anything to lose at this point.

Wolverine waited for her to enter before he stepped inside after her. The gate closed behind them.

Jill still wasn't entirely ready to accept all of this, even though she had decided to give these people-the mutants-a chance. They were quite the controversy on TV and amongst some groups, but she couldn't deny the fact that this one had saved her life. She walked along beside him toward the front door of the mansion, maintaining a personal distance of about three feet, but not moving too far away from him either. She wanted to make clear she wasn't going to run.

When they reached the front door he opened it and waited for her to step inside.

She entered at a sluggish pace, though once she was inside the sight of the interior nearly took her breath away. It was definitely huge, and everything from the flight of stairs to the chandelier that hung from the ceiling... "Wow," she breathed. "It's like a palace!" She slowly moved forward, running her fingertips along the bottom railing of the stairs, as if it were made of gold. "Wow," she said again. "Who owns this place?" She looked at Logan again. "Is it yours?"

He snorted. "No."

"Then... you must know the one who owns it?" It made sense; otherwise he wouldn't have brought her here.

He nodded. "Yes." he looked up the stairs. "He's probably in his office." he started up the stairs.

Jill remained beside the railing at the bottom of the stairs, watching him as he began to move up the steps. "Um... is that where you're going?" she asked, gently gripping the edge of the railing in a clingy fashion.

He paused and looked down at her. "You won't get anywhere standing there, kid," he said.

"Oh, yeah." She began to follow him up the steps, her mind starting to race. In all of the excitement, she hadn't had much of a chance to think about everything that happened to her. The last thing she remembered was waking up in that lab, and she had blurry memories of being rescued after she got sick.  
She tried to think back further, as she and Logan continued to go up the stairs. She remembered celebrating her 18th birthday party at her parents' house, and then she officially got her new apartment. Her entire family helped her move in...

Then the memory hit her so suddenly it almost felt physical. She had stupidly left her newspaper too close to the burner on her stove while she was cooking a meal, and it caught on fire. By the time she realized what had happened it was already spreading too far, and too fast. Instead of getting out of the building like any second-grader would know to do, she tried to put it out herself. When that didn't work, she tried to rescue a few of her precious mementos and valuables, but by the time she gathered everything it was too late. The doors and windows were engulfed by fire, and then her clothes had caught on fire. She tried rolling on the floor, but ended up right in the midst of the ever-growing inferno...

She gasped as they neared the top of the stairs, panting softly as she leaned heavily against the railing, trying to regain her composure. "Oh my God..." she breathed, remembering everything vividly now. The strange thing was... she couldn't remember blacking out, she only remembered the fire and her clothes and skin beginning to burn.

"I... I remember... oh my God!" she exclaimed, looking directly at Logan. He was staring at her in a mixture of puzzlement and concern. "I was trapped in my apartment when it was on fire. I remember my clothes caught on fire and it started to burn me... that's the last thing I remember before I woke up at the lab."

'Hmmm.."

She shook her head in frustration. "Now I think I'm getting a headache," she growled, more to herself than to Logan.

"Want me to get you some aspirin?'

"No," Jill answered. "Let's just... go see whoever we're going to see, okay? I'll be fine."

He didn't look convinced but let it drop. 'Follow me."

Both of them began to walk down the hall toward the professor's office. Just as they started to move past some of the bedrooms, a figure appeared out of nowhere and ran smack into Logan, obviously not watching where it was going.  
Logan grunted in surprise, then looked down to see a blue-haired girl wearing a pink tank-top and blue jeans. He didn't recognize her or her scent, so he quickly figured that she was new to the Institute. He frowned at her, taking a moment to register her scent into his brain. He simply knew from experience that sooner or later, every kid who came to this school would either run off or get into some kind of trouble, and he'd need to know their scent so that he could help track them down. It was simply best to be prepared.

Jill stood a short distance away, looking at the girl with a curious expression. She'd never seen someone with blue hair before.

"I'm sorry," she said,not exactly looking at him directly. "I didn't see you." she was a little distracted at the moment, seeing as she was soaking wet and didn't feel like talking all that much.

"What happened to you?" Jill asked in spite of herself.

"Looks like she might have had an accident with a garden hose," Logan commented dryly. He sniffed the air again and then added, "Along with a glass of orange juice."

"You have that blue skinned loser for that," she stated, annoyed.  
"Blue-skinned loser?" Jill echoed in puzzlement.

"She means Kurt," Logan replied, then looked back at the other girl. "Am I right?"

"I don't know what his name is," she stated, folding her arms. "All I know is that he popped up in front of me in the kitchen and scared me."

"Sounds like Kurt," Logan nodded, folding his arms across his muscular chest. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. What's your name, kid?"

"Brooke," now she did looked at him. "Brooke Alice Walton and who are you?"  
"Logan," he said simply. "I'm sure you'll be seeing me at some of the training sessions soon enough. And," he added, glancing briefly over his shoulder, "this is Jill."

"Um yeah, I just got here," Jill shrugged.

"Hi," Brooke said without looking at her. She kept staring at Logan. He seemed rather short but that wasn't the major detail she noticed. He was rather good looking, for an older man though she couldn't exactly be sure how much old than her he was.

Logan furrowed his brow a little, noticing the way she was staring at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly interrupted before he could get any sound out.

Kurt popped in out of nowhere, almost directly between Logan and Brooke. Jill let out a startled squeak and moved behind Wolverine as Kurt began speaking quickly to Brooke. "There you are! I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for-"

"Get away from me, you creep!" she cut him off, stepping back.

"But I'm really sorry for what I did! I really didn't know you were in the kitchen!" Kurt insisted. He took a step back from her, but kept talking. "I wouldn't have done that if I knew it would scare you, I swear!"

"Yeah I bet," she shot back. "I bet you did it on purpose just to make me show you what I can do. Well I don't like showing it to people!"

"What is going on out here?" a new, authoritative voice asked. Everyone turned to see a bald man approaching in a wheelchair; Jill was the only one who did not recognize him.

"Just settling a dispute, or trying to," Logan said in a tone that suggested, "Kids!"

"I-it's my fault, Professor," Kurt said, taking the end of his tail and wringing it between his hands. Apparently it was a new habit he'd picked up, something he did whenever he felt bad. "I scared Brooke and she made the sink spurt water all over the place."

"It's all right, Kurt," Charles Xavier told him, raising a hand to indicate silence. "I'm sure it was an accident, and you didn't know. And Brooke," he said, turning his head to look at the blue-haired girl, "I thought I asked you to stay in your room until someone could show you around."  
"I got thirsty," she told him.

He sighed. "I'm sorry," the professor told her. "I would have thought that Scott, Jean or Hank would have been finished, or at least be taking a break, by now. No doubt they're very busy with the other students. I had hoped that one of them could show you around and introduce you to everyone, so that you wouldn't get any unexpected surprises." He glanced briefly in Kurt's direction. The blue-furred creature still looked sheepish.

"So this must be the newest recruit," Wolverine commented.  
"yes uh... I haven't decided that yet," Brooke stated. "I only agreed to try it out and see if I wanted to stay or not.." she looked at him again. "Know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I think I do," Logan said lightly. It sounded like he understood what she meant and was humoring her words at the same time. "Charles," he then said, looking past everyone else and straight at the professor, "this is Jill."  
"Hello, Jill," Xavier said, looking at the brown-haired girl. "I take it you came here with Logan?"

"Yeah, I did," Jill answered.

"That's something I wanted to talk to you about," Logan said, nodding at the professor. Charles knew him well enough to understand the unspoken implication, and he knew that this was a matter best discussed in private anyway. "Why don't you and Jill wait in my office," the professor said after a moment. "Brooke, Kurt, I'd like to speak with you for a moment."

"Uh, sure," Kurt replied.

She sighed. "All right." though she kept staring at Logan.

Logan made a noise in his throat that sounded like the cross-between of a soft growl and a "hmmm", then lead the way toward the professor's office. As he and Jill walked down the hall, they could catch what Xavier was saying to Brooke and Kurt.

"Brooke, I would like you to accompany Kurt," Charles was saying. "He will show you around and introduce you to everyone."

Brooke made a face. "Why does he have to be the one to show me around?' she demanded. "especially after what he did."

"Because it will give you a chance to get to know him," Charles answered, "and everyone must learn to get along together in this school, especially if you plan to live here. And it will give Kurt a chance to make it up to you." Kurt perked up a little at this.

She sighed. There was no getting out of it. 'Fine." she looked at Kurt. 'but if you play anymore bad jokes on me I'll made sure you're bathroom has an.. unfortunate mess."

"Come on," Logan said in a low, gruff tone. Jill started a little as she looked at him, and realized she had been staring at the others and holding up Wolverine. She nodded and followed him into the office.

"May as well make yourself comfortable," he told her as they entered. She sank into a chair near the desk while he remained standing.

"So... um, that bald man is the one who ones this place?" Jill asked, peering up at Wolverine from her chair.

"Yeah."

A moment later the door opened, and Charles entered. "I think we have much to discuss," he said as he took his position behind his desk, then turned to face them.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jill tried very hard not to slam the door as she entered the bedroom where she'd been told to go. She did, after all, have a lot of strength in her body now and it wouldn't do any good to break the door off its hinges. She snapped it firmly shut, but no one could accuse her of slamming it.

Her aggravation faded when she noticed the blue-haired girl she'd met in the hallway earlier in the day standing beside one of the beds in the room. "Oh," Jill exclaimed, startled. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were in here."

Brooke looked up. She recognized her as well. 'It's fine," she said. 'you should see what happens when i lose my temper." she sat down on her bed and set the suitcase on it.

"Um, yeah I think I get the picture," Jill replied. She quietly walked over to the other bed, sitting down on the end of it and claiming it as her own. "I am so glad it's nighttime already," she said in spite of herself. "I had a lousy day. How was your day?" Neither of them had seen each other since that first meeting in the hall, so she was a little curious in spite of herself.

She sighed. "Crappy," she told her. "every time I passed by a bathroom the pipes started rumbling."

"Did you... um... make any messes?" Jill tried to find a way to phrase the question nonchalantly, though she wasn't sure if she succeeded.

She looked up. "No, thank God," she said, sighing. "Nobody randomly popped up to scare me or make me mad so the house is still dry."

"Well... that's good at least," Jill nodded. "Just curious, how did things go with that blue guy today? Whatever his name was."

"Kurt," she said. "and I can't really answer that. I think I acted like a snot toward him though." she sighed. "I think I hurt his feelings, but can you blame me ater what he did earlier?"

"I guess not," Jill said sympathetically. She absent-mindedly ran a hand over the smooth surface of her bed, feeling the texture of the sheets. It felt different from the bed she had been used to at her apartment, but as far as she knew her old room was gone. This would definitely have to do; at least she did have a place to stay. "Maybe he did deserve it in a way," she went on. "But... maybe he didn't know you were in there."

"Maybe." she sighed.

"Um... how do you like it here? Do you think you'll be happy here?" Jill asked curiously.

"I don't know," she said, 'and I don't know."

"Well," Jill said after a moment, unsure how to pursue that particular topic, "mind if I talk about my day a little?"

She shrugged. 'Sure." anything to get her to stop asking her questions.  
"Well," Jill began, getting into her storytelling mode to recap the events of her day, "I had a little talk with Logan and Professor Xavier in that office, and then they both decided that I should have a medical exam to find out what exactly was going on with me.

"So," she went on, "we went to the medical center. First I was surprised they had one of those here, but... I guess it makes sense because it is a school. I was a bit reluctant to let them check me out, because I don't like going to the doctor. But I wanted to know what happened to me, so I let them take a look at me.

"And then," she continued her ramble, "after a few hours of tests and whatever, they told me that there were signs in my body suggesting that I had been severely burned and that my legs and left arm had been amputated. And apparently they replaced my severed limbs with robotic ones. Not only that, but most of my skeleton-particularly my spinal column-has been reinforced with some weird kind of metal. And also, I have a robot ear and a robot eye, as well as a few implants in my head. But since they weren't sure what they were for and they are wired into my brain, they didn't want to take anything out, not until they run a few more tests."

Jill stopped talking for a moment, shuddering at the thought. "From what we could figure out," she went on after a moment, "a stupid fire that was my fault started in my apartment, and apparently somebody pulled me out of there before I was completely burned to a crisp, and... did this to me." She indicated herself, looking at her robotic arm and her legs. "They saved my life, I guess, but they were also trying to turn me into this thing that could fight mutants or whatever. I just know that... I'll never be able to go back to normal."  
Brooke stared at her, her mouth hanging open. She had no idea what to say to her.

Jill took in her expression, then frowned and shrugged a little. "Yeah well... just know that you're not the only one who has it rough," she said.

"I..." she still didn't know what to tell her. "I'm sorry."

"Me too," Jill said automatically. Then in a softer tone she added, "For both of us."

Both of them sat in silence for a long moment and then Jill crawled onto her bed, collapsing on top of the covers and laying her head against her pillow.

"So, what're you doing tomorrow?" she asked the other girl.  
She shook her head. 'I have no idea,' she said. 'But I'm not looking forward to that training session even if Logan is the one teaching it. I've seen the uniforms we all have to wear and..." she made a face.

"Well, at least you're going to be out doing something tomorrow," Jill countered. "Apparently they want me back in the medical center after breakfast to run a few more tests." She grimaced. "Haven't they looked at me enough?" she growled under her breath.

"maybe they want to make sure you're fine otherwise?'

"Either that or they just want to see what makes me tick. I don't know, what if they just think I'm fascinating or something, and want to look at whatever is in me?"

'I don't know."

"I'm just saying... at least you're a mutant. I'm supposed to be a regular human, but someone did this to me."

"Does it matter?' she asked. "Either way we're in the same boat."

"Yeah... I guess so." Jill got up off the bed long enough to pull the covers aside and then she crawled into it, hauling them over herself. "I just want to go to sleep," she said. "Maybe if I'm lucky... I'll wake up tomorrow morning and find that this has been nothing more than a really strange dream."

Brooke turned away. "I wish."

Jill groaned a little. "Good night," she mumbled.

'Good night,' she said, sighing.

*****

Soon after her eyelids closed and sleep claimed her, Jill's left eye slowly fluttered open while her right eye remained shut. Jill the person was fast asleep, but the cybernetic implants within her brain had kicked in. This caused her to sit up on her bed, her robotic arm shoved the covers aside and her legs made her stand. Her human arm hung limply at her side as if lifeless.

A soft noise was detected by her robotic ear, causing her to turn in the direction of the second bed. The other girl was sound asleep and making little noises. The implants registered this information and quickly determined that the blue-haired girl was not a threat, nor was she going to cause a problem at the moment. The cybernetic systems then processed a single, default command: "Return to Zane".

The cybernetic system did not know where Zane was, but it knew a place where it could start looking; the research lab. They processed the information, taking into account that several news broadcasts on TV had reported that the entire place had been abandoned and that there was nothing left there, not since the mutant had rescued the victim there. But surely someone would keep an eye out there in case she returned, correct?

The cybernetic system walked Jill's robotic legs out of the room silently. Then they carried her down the stairs and toward the front door. They searched Jill's memories and detected that there could be a problem; the front gate. But surely she could just jump over it or use her strength to force the door to open.

The implants made Jill's robotic eye look this way and that, making certain the coast was clear. Then they moved her toward the front door, raising her arm so that her hand would be ready to open it...

A hand fell on her arm. "Going somewhere, kid?" He'd heard her moving around and had gone to investigate.

The implants made her head turn sharply in his direction. The cybernetic system analysed this turn of events, along with what little Jill's mind knew of this individual, in less than a second. Then it caused her to act, using every bit of strength her enhanced robotic body possessed, yanked her arm out of his grasp and then swung at his chest with the intent of knocking him across the room. Right at this moment, it was not interested in harming or killing him; it just wanted to get him out of the way.

Wolverine hadn't expected her to attack him and was hit with the full force of the blow which knocked him across the room.

The implants registered this fact for a split-second. Satisfied with the results, it made Jill turn back to the door and lifted her robotic arm, forcing her to open it. Then it took a moment to have her lean out so that her robotic eye could get a look outside, making sure there was no one out there. After a moment's analysis, she began to step outside.

Logan recovered quickly got got to his feet. He hadn't realized she could do that. He growled to himself and moved toward her.

By the time he reached the door she was already outside. The implants turned her head and they registered the fact that he was up again and in pursuit. For a split second they were conflicted; fight, or flee? They unified as the system "boss" program made its decision; keep going. At this moment, there was no reason to engage in combat and it was possible to avoid a confrontation. The biggest priority was to get back to Dr. Zane as far as the programming was concerned. They made Jill turn and she began to run for the gate as quickly as she could.

Logan chased after her. He caught up to her before she reached the half-way point to the gate.

The cybernetic system heard his imminent approach through the robotic ear and once again they were conflicted. Keep going, or turn and fight? It was quickly determined that if it did not stop, the pursuing subject might force it to stop.  
Reaching this conclusion, it made Jill whirl around and she stuck out her foot.

However, since Wolverine was expecting resistance this time he dodged her attempt to kick him. She ducked a blow from his arm, then she threw herself against the ground, bracing her palms flat against the grass and swinging one of her legs around. Her foot connected with his knee and caused him to stagger off balance but he recovered quickly, connecting his fist with her cheekbone.  
She went sprawling against the ground a few feet away from him... and then both of her eyes snapped opened. Then she grimaced and groaned loudly as she gingerly touched her cheek. "Ow," she moaned almost pitifully.

He walked over to her and pulled her to her feet. 'what do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

She flinched and practically jumped out of her skin as he did that. Her eyes flew wide and she panted hysterically. "W-what? What-" Her eyes darted around briefly and then she looked even more startled. "Where am I? How did I get outside?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

"Huh?" She stared at him, her features written with uncertainty and confusion. "What is going on? Ow... and why does my face hurt?" She grimaced as she used her free arm to touch it again.

He looked at her incredulously, though her baffled and puzzled expression convinced him that she truly didn't know what he was talking about. He made a noise in his throat, then told her everything that had happened, starting from the moment when he first spotted her at the front door right up to the moment where he pulled her off the grass.

She continued to stare at him. "I did that?" she cried. "I attacked you? But... I don't remember it!"

"Hmm..." he gave her a searching look, bothered by that fact. Why didn't she remember anything? Had she been sleep walking? he would have to talk to Xavier about this in the morning.

"Did... did I do this while I was asleep?" she blurted, her eyes growing wide again. "I... I don't want to go back to sleep." She shook her head firmly.  
"No?" Oh great. That meant he had to stay up as well to make sure she didn't fall asleep. This was going to be a long night.

"I'm not going to sleep if something like this could happen again," she snapped, turning her head away from him. "I... I don't want to run away or hurt anyone, and I don't want to be hurt either." She pointed indicatively at the tender spot on her cheek.

"Fine. he said. "Let's go inside and I'll make us some coffee."

A few minutes later they were back inside the mansion and they went into the kitchen. Jill wasted no time taking a seat, then buried her face into her hands. Her cheek was already starting to hurt less, but it didn't make her feel much better. As if becoming a half-robot wasn't bad enough... now she was doing things in her sleep? Would she ever be able to sleep again? Or would they have to restrain her?

Then again... considering how strong she was, what restraints would be able to hold her? She almost felt like crying.

Logan poured two cups of coffee and handed her a mug. 'Here."

She glanced up, then took the mug he offered. "Thanks," she murmured, then took a sip from the steaming cup.

He sat down at the table with his own mug. he didn't drink it though. He continued to stare at her intently, wondering what was going on in her mind.  
She quickly became a little uncomfortable under his intent gaze. So she blurted out the first thing she could think of to say, even if it sounded completely stupid. "Have you ever heard Bad Romance sung by the Chipettes?"  
"What?" he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Uhhh... never mind." She took a hasty gulp from her coffee mug, feeling sheepish. "So... what happened to you?" she finally asked, trying to get some kind of intelligent conversation going.

He stared at her, unsure about what she meant.

"You know," she shrugged. "You're really strong, you're very fast... and those claws..." She nodded toward his hands.

"It happened a long time ago," he said simply and then looked away, sipping his coffee, a clear indication he didn't want to talk about it.

"Oh." Jill filled her mouth with coffee again, draining the remaining contents of her mug. "Got any more?" she asked. She wanted to make sure she stayed awake.  
He got up to pour her another cup.

"Thanks," she told him politely. "And uh... what time is it, anyway?"  
"2:30am."

"Wow," she said. She took a sip of the mug after he handed it back to her. Then she gazed up at him again and said, "So uh... anything you want to talk about or anything?" She shrugged, trying to make it clear she didn't mind if he didn't want to talk.

To be honest he wanted to go back to bed. Instead he shook his head.

"Okay," she said, and focused her full attention on her coffee.

One hour and four cups of coffee later, she had basically drained the pot of coffee dry and was chattering away like there was no tomorrow. She did this partially because she wanted to try her hardest to stay awake, and partly because she was now incredibly hyper.

"And so," she was saying, starting to ramble about something else that was relatively boring, "after I finished cooking noodles that evening, I sat down in front of my computer and checked my email. And do you know what I saw there? Can you even guess?"

Logan was half asleep, her question woke him back up. 'no, what?"

"It said that some rich dude had passed away and I was his successor or something, and I had to act now if I was going to inherit his fortune. That was quite a load of horse-puckey, almost right up there with those stupid emails that offer ways to enlarge your, uh..." She coughed. "Got any more coffee?" she said instead.

he sighed, getting up. 'I'll make some more.." would this night never end? Once everyone else was awake he was going to his room and crashing.

"Thank you!" she said again. If nothing else, she certainly knew how to be polite.

Another hour went by, along with another dozen or so boring or pointless stories and rambles from her. The kitchen clock flashed 4:30 AM, and by this point the girl was starting to run out of things to say or talk about.  
"Ugh," she said, looking over at Logan. "I think my throat and jaw are starting to hurt. Too much talking I guess." She looked at him, raising her eyebrows as a thought occurred to her. "Oh dear, I hope I haven't bored you too much." she told him.

He had been dozing of, his head resting on his hand. In fact he had fallen asleep.

"Oh dear," she murmured. "Um... Logan? Mr. Logan, sir?" She reached out, almost tentatively, and poked his shoulder. He did not move. She stared at him for a moment, then shrugged and grabbed the hand that was supporting his head, pulling it away from his temple and cheek, hoping it would make him wake up.

Logan's head thumped onto the table waking him instantly. He sat up, making funny noises until he saw her staring at him. 'What?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just didn't think you'd want to fall asleep at the table, and uh..." That was when she cracked up.

He glared at her. "Something amuses you?"

She stopped laughing, and put a hand over her mouth to suppress her giggles. "I'm sorry, I'm just... maybe I'm just going crazy. So much has happened and I've been up way past my bedtime and... and..." She started to crack up again, this time going into hysterics.

Once she finally regained her composure she asked in a quiet, almost dull tone, "Got any more coffee?"

By now he was far beyond being nice. 'Make it yourself!"

She stared at him for a moment, then she nodded. "Okay, I will!" She stood and walked over to the stove, then looked almost puzzled as she tried to get her brain in working order. In spite of all the caffeine that was already pumping through her veins, her mind was truly beginning to suffer from the lack of sleep.

What she ended up doing was pouring a full carton of milk into the coffee pot and, after letting it heat up for a while, she poured it into a cup, poured several ungrounded coffee beans into it, and then poured some cold water into it. Once that was done, she poured herself a cup of the odd mixture and then sat down at the table.

"I made another pot," she proclaimed proudly, oblivious to what she'd actually done. "Want a cup?"

He lifted his head, which had begun to droop again and frowned at her. 'No thank you." he just wanted to go to bed.

"Okie-dokie." She raised the mug to lips, only now her arm was getting kind of jittery. As a result the cup slipped through her fingers and crashed on the floor, its contents splattering about. "Aw... crap," she growled.  
Logan lifted his head and glanced over at the clock. It was now 5:30am and the sky was starting to get bright but still too early for anyone to be getting up. He sighed. Just great. He got up. 'I'll clean it up." hopefully the mug hadn't belong to the professor.

"Thanks," she said again. Normally he would never condone anyone for being polite, but at this point he was starting to get a little tired of hearing her say that... again.

She folded her arms on the table in front of her and rested her chin on them. Then she simply proceeded to stare straight ahead. In spite of herself and all of the coffee in her... she was starting to feel her eyelids grow heavy. Especially since she was no longer yapping her mouth off about anything.  
After he finished cleaning up the broken mug he looked at her. "Tired?' it was obvious she was.

She blinked a few times, but didn't look at him. "Yeah... I think I'm just... gonna close my eyes for a minute." And she did close her eyes. "I'm not gonna sleep, though... just... rest my eyes."

He watched her.

The clock soon read 5:45. Jill remained completely motionless. Occasionally she would open her eyes briefly or shift her position, obviously trying to keep herself awake in spite of her resting. By the time the clock reached 6:00, however, she was completely motionless. She hadn't even twitched for at least five minutes.

Logan blinked and walked over to her. "Kid?" he snapped his fingers in front of her face. 'you awake?"

Her head snapped up, and for a brief moment there was only a blank expression. Then she looked up at him and said, "Huh? You say something?"

He sighed. He didn't know what to say anything.

For the next hour or so both of them simply sat there at the table, in silence. Over that period of time they both had trouble staying awake, each one nearly drifting off from time to time. Eventually, Wolverine's eyes closed and he could no longer fight it.

The next thing he knew, when his eyes opened again, the kitchen was abuzz with mild activity of Jean, Scott, and a few others cooking breakfast or pouring themselves cereal. The clock was flashing 8:00, and Jill was nowhere in sight.  
His eyes widened. Where was she? he stood up. "She's loose!"

"Who's loose?" Scott asked, and Jean cast a curious glance in Logan's direction.  
he stared at them. he'd forgotten they were in the room. "nobody um.." he stepped back. "I need to go now." he turned and rushed out of the room.  
He hurried down the hallway, looking left and right. He sniffed the air several times, trying to pick up on her scent. The only problem was that her scent was already all over the place because Jean had given her the grand tour yesterday, and every other person had also been all over the mansion. He acted on a hunch and went up the stairs.

Just as he reached the top of the stairs he ran smack into someone who was obviously in a hurry, perhaps because they were a little late. It was Brooke, the blue-haired girl that he'd met the day before. She gasped and took a hasty step backward, her face dropping in surprise.  
And it was only at this moment that Logan remembered that he was shirtless, only wearing an old pair of blue jeans. Because that was the way he always slept, and he hadn't had a chance to change.

"Um..." she continued to stare at him. "Good morning? You seem to be umm..." she blushed. "Hi?"

"Excuse me, kid," Logan said, moving past her. He had to find Jill in case she had gone off on another sleepwalk or whatever happened last time. He just hoped that she was in her bed, not outside somewhere.

"Oh..." she stepped out of his way. 'Sorry." she said. "Hey um... do you know where the nearest bathroom is? Someone's hogging mine."  
Logan turned to look at her. "Any idea who's in there?" he asked, hoping that this could be nice and easy and that she would say Jill was hogging it.

"A ghost."

Logan blinked, then scowled. "Have you seen Jill around here anywhere?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "No," she said. 'She was already up when i got out of bed. Why?" her tone seemed to say she was annoyed that he seemed to inetrested in the other girl.

"Nothing," he told her. He cocked his head toward the stairs. "Go down the stairs and down the hall on the left, fourth door on the right. That's the closest bathroom." With that, he turned and started to head back down the stairs. With his luck, he was going to have to look outside for the elusive girl.

Brooke watched him go and sighed with frustration. She shook ehr ehad and headed down the hall. She'd see him later anyway. Hopefully that other girl wouldn't be around then.

*****

Jill inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, plopping herself down on the grass behind the large building. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked down at her clothes. She was drenched from head to toe and shivering slightly, but she didn't care. Getting herself wet with the garden hose had served its purpose; it sprayed her with cold water and it was keeping her awake.

After a few moments she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She glanced up just in time to see Logan approaching, and it looked as though he was using his nose. Either that or maybe he just smelled something funny. "Hi," she greeted him. "Have a nice nap?"

He looked down at her. 'You!" he exclaimed, storming over to her. "Where have you been?"

She flinched at his tone, then got to her feet. "I just came out here after you drifted off," she said defensively. "Sorry, I just figured you needed the sleep and didn't want me to bother you."

He still looked aggravated, but he seemed to relax slightly. He opened his mouth and then closed it again, frowning a little at her appearance. "Why are you all wet?" he asked. Since he was tired and in a bad mood, the words came out gruffer and harsher than they would have normally.

Jill glanced down at herself, then indicated the garden hose. "Um... this is going to sound stupid, but I did this to stay away. Running around the mansion didn't work because moving around on these new legs doesn't even make me break a sweat."

It didn't? Strange. Ah well, he'd think about that later. "So what did you do? Jump into the fountain?"

"Well... I sorta jumped through the fountain, then I sprayed myself with the garden hose," she shrugged. "I got the idea after I ran through the sprinklers when they kicked on."

He sighed. "I'm surprised you didn't just jump into the pool."

She blinked. "There's a pool? Guess I missed it somehow."  
He sighed and slapped his palm against his forehead. "It's out back. It's not that hard to spot."

"Oh... okay." A moment of awkward silence passed between them and then she said, "So... I guess I should go back inside now. Is everybody else awake?"

The look he gave her answered that question. "It's half past 9. What do you think?'

She nodded. "Yeah, okay... let's go back inside." She walked past him and started to move toward the entrance, brushing bits of dirt and vegetation off of her drenched outfit. Her black shirt and matching sweatpants clung to her skin, especially now that her clothes were soaking wet.

"Before you have breakfast get dried off." he grumbled before turning and heading back into the mansion.

She hesitated as he passed her, then she followed him inside. She saw him heading up the stairs without so much as a backward glance. She shrugged to herself and hopped up the steps herself, taking two at a time until she reached the top. Then she headed straight for the room she shared with Brooke.  
The blue-haired girl was not in the room, so she was probably already up and about. Jill walked over to the closet and peered at the clothes, then she grabbed a red T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. She took a quick glance toward the door to make sure no one was coming, then she quickly changed her outfit, throwing the wet one on the floor as she did so.

Once she was fully changed, she scooped the wet clothes up and headed out of the room. Now she just had to figure out where everybody put their dirty laundry, and then maybe she could get on with her day.

If she could stay awake...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After spending most of the early-morning hours staying awake with Jill, Wolverine was in no shape to teach the morning course that he was supposed to teach. It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning, although there was always something going on at the Xavier Institute even if every other school was out for the weekend.

While Logan went into his room and crashed for the better part of the morning and the afternoon, Hank McCoy took over and taught the class that Wolverine was originally supposed to teach. This caused a stir of relief amongst most of the students... except for Brooke. She attended the class and gave it her best, but she was disappointed to find that Logan wasn't there.

In the meantime, Jill spent most of the morning with Professor Xavier. First she told him about everything that happened throughout the night, and the professor listened to her intently. Finally he asked her for her permission to enter her mind, so that he could try and determine just what was going on.

However, he didn't find much of anything. He saw and experienced everything that happened throughout the night through her eyes, including the conversation she'd had with Brooke before going to bed... and everything that happened after she awoke outside on the lawn with a sore cheek and Logan hauling her to her feet. But everything in-between those two points was a complete blank in her mind.

Finding nothing in her mind, Xavier decided that the next course of action was to get her back to the medical bay for another check up. With the assistance of Jean-and then Hank once he was finished teaching the morning class-they gave her another thorough examination, checking out all of the technology with her and scrutinizing even the things that seemed insignificant.

In the end, it was determined that whatever happened during the previous night was possibly triggered by a network of implants wired into her brain. However, it was quickly deduced that any attempt to remove, disable or even tamper with the implants could possible prove to be deadly, considering they were located deep within the brain and they were responsible for maintaining the connection between the brain and the new limbs.

"It's almost as if the neural implants were formed and wired directly inside her brain instead of being planted there through an operation," Hank McCoy deduced after a series of scans.

"What do you mean?" Charles Xavier asked.

"Well, if I were to wager a guess," Hank replied, "I'd say that they were formed and built directly inside the brain with the use of microscopic nano-technology. That would mean the technology could be formed and implanted without having to cut her head open... and it would be even more dangerous to try and remove."

All of this talk just made Jill more and more nervous. All that she knew was that she had been turned into some kind of freak that would do who-knew-what whenever she fell asleep, and apparently the stuff in her head couldn't be removed without killing her.

In the end it was decided that she would spend time in the infirmary until further notice, with someone present to keep an eye on her at all times. They could, after all, lock the doors on the medical bay and if she got out of control or tried anything, a couple of mutants were capable of taking her down... or at least waking her up.

Hank and Rogue agreed to take the first watch. They stood outside the locked doors and peered in through the windows of the medical bay, ready for anything.

By the time Jill finally fell asleep, it was evening. And this was about the time when Logan finally awoke. He checked on Jill, got an update from Hank and Rogue, decided she was in good hands and then went to the kitchen to get something to eat. After eating a good meal, he went up to Xavier's office to see his friend.

Charles was actually in the living room, reading something in the newspaper. He glanced up when Wolverine entered the room. "Hello, Logan," he greeted. "I'm glad you're here, there is something I wanted to discuss with you."

He frowned, noting the seriousness in the other man's tone. He sat down and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and intertwining his fingers. "All right, Professor, what did the kid do this time?" soemthing told him this was going to be about the girl he's brought in yesterday.

"Nothing, as of yet," Charles said as he folded the paper and put it aside.

"But that's what concerns me. Have you spoken with Hank or heard anything about what we discovered?"

He nodded.

"Then you know that Jill will need to be kept under close supervision whenever she sleeps, until we find a way to solve this problem," the professor went on thoughtfully. "Obviously we can't just keep her awake all the time because everyone needs to sleep sometime. But we need answers, and we need them soon."

"So let me guess," he said. 'You want me to do it?" Oh great.

"Not alone," Charles amended. "I'd like you to take a small team with you. We must find out if there was anything left at that laboratory where you rescued Jill, anything that might tell us how to disable those dangerous elements of her implants without harming her."

"I see." he stood. "Got any suggestions?"

"Search the room where you found her, and any room that looks like an office or a storage room. If you see anything that looks potentially useful, feel free to grab it and bring it back here." Xavier fell silent, thinking for a moment.

"Take Rogue, Kurt and Kitty with you. It's been a while since they've gone on a mission, and they should serve as adequate backup."

He nodded. 'Fine."

*****

Twenty minutes later, the small group was ready to go. Logan filled the others in on what was happening as they finalized their plans and decided who was going to drive and what vehicle they were taking.

Merely two months ago, Kitty had finally gotten herself an SUV and they'd all agreed to use that vehicle. Logan was a bit reluctant to go for a ride with her in the drivers' seat, but ever since she'd gotten her own car she had been car more careful not to damage it or anything else. Xavier had apparently helped her get this vehicle so that she wouldn't keep asking to use other people's cars, and she had finally learned to obey the speed limits and stay in her lane after getting one too many speeding tickets and especially after she nearly mowed someone over.

"This is going to be so cool!" Kitty exclaimed as they proceeded down the stairs, toward the front door. "This is the first time I've ever drove us to one of our missions!"

"Just keep your shirt on, kid," Logan cautioned as they approached the front door. "Remember to keep your head on your shoulders while you're driving."

-

Brooke had heard voices and footsteps in the hall and poked her head out of her room. She looked out just in time to see the group head for the stairs. "Hm... I wonder where they're going?"

She quickly stepped out of her room and quietly followed them. It had to be some place special since they were all in their uniforms.

As she watched them, she maintained a discreet distance behind them as they went out the front door and headed toward the garage. Sure enough, they went inside; the blue-skinned boy and Kitty were chattering excitedly as they entered first.

Brooke moved to the garage and peeked into the window.

Kurt activated his holographic imager to make himself appear more human and got into the back seat as Rogue climbed in on the opposite side. Logan took the "shotgun" seat in the front and Kitty practically danced toward the driver's side and leaped right through the door without opening it. A moment later the engine started.

Brooke gasped and ducked down. "I have to get in there," she said to herself. Why she wanted to go with them she didn't know but it seemed important besides she had been encouraged to try using her powers for the good of man kind and maybe what they were about to do counted as such. But how was she going to get into the car?

Her eyes fell on the fountain. "Hmmm..."

The garage door opened and the vehicle within began to roll forward. She could almost hear what sounded like Logan's voice reminding Kitty to keep her head and to wait for the gate to open rather than just going through it. The car slowed a little and continued toward the gate.

"No!" she turned her attention back to the fountain, concentrating hard.  
All of a sudden, the water in the fountain began to flow upward instead of downward-then the water completely erupted, going outward and in every direction in a spiral motion. Some of the water splashed onto the front of the car, and it came to an abrupt halt.

The windows rolled down and everyone looked out. She could hear Rogue's accented voice saying something that sounded like, "What was that? What's going on with the fountain?"

"I don't know," Logan's voice said. He then stepped out of the car to check it out.

Brooke watched them a moment then rushed toward the car. This was her only chance. That's when something really weird happened. One minute she was running and the next... the next she was sitting inside the trunk having no recollection of how she got there.

She could hear the voices of the others as they tried to figure out what happened to the fountain. "It almost looked like an accident that happened yesterday when I scared Brooke in the kitchen," Kurt's voice said, sounding slightly muffled through the trunk walls.

Uh oh. Hopefully they wouldn't figure out that it was her. She stayed quiet listening further.

"Hmmm," Logan's voice vibrated softly, almost too low for her to hear. "Well I don't see anyone out here."

"We're just wasting time," Kitty exclaimed, and it seemed like she returned to the driver's seat. "Come on, let's get going!" This was followed by the sounds of doors opening and closing, indicating that everyone was getting back in the car. A moment later, the car began to move.

Brooke sighed and leaned back, bracing herself for the long drive ahead.  
She had a difficult time making out what was being said over the hum-and occasional roar, of the engine, as well as the sounds of the tires and the occasional bumps. She was quickly finding out that being inside a trunk made it difficult to hear anything.

Eventually, after about twenty-five or thirty minutes, the vehicle came to a stop. Then the engine shut down. This was followed by the sounds of several doors opening and slamming shut. One thing was certain; they had arrived at wherever they were going.

"Stay with the car, half-pint," she heard Logan's voice saying.  
"What?" Kitty's voice exclaimed. "Why?"

"Because last time I was here, someone made off with my bike," Logan replied. "Stay with your car and make sure no one runs off with it. We might need to get out of here in a hurry."

"Will do," Shadowcat replied. Her tone suggested she did not like the idea of anyone stealing her car.

Brooke sighed. How was she going to get out of there if Kitty was left to watch the car? "Great..." she muttered.

A few moments passed. Then, as if responding to some noise, Kitty's voice exclaimed, "What was that?" This was followed by the sound of the front door opening and closing. Whatever was going on, apparently it had caused Shadowcat to get out.

Brooke froze, listening for footsteps. When she heard kitty's die away she pushed the trunk open and climbed out.

"Now," she said, looking around. 'Where did they go off to?"

From what she could see, the vehicle was parked near the entrance of a large, abandoned warehouse building. A brief glance around revealed that there were a few fresh footprints pointed toward the direction of the entrance.

"Bingo!" she followed the footprints.

She followed them up to the front entrance and went inside. She cautiously pressed onward, keeping her eyes and ears open for any sign of the others. It wasn't hard to stick to the shadows, considering it was nighttime and the interior was mostly dark.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, something moved in the darkest shadows in the farthest corner of the hall. Then two seconds later, something solid connected with her chin.

Brook let out a yelp and fell back, putting a hand over the spot where she'd been hit. She landed on her rear. "Ow!"

The next thing she knew, the figure that had punched her grabbed her roughly by the shirt collar and hauled her up, pressing a thin blade against her throat. It felt cool against her skin, and although it did not penetrate, she could feel it against her jugular vein. "Who are you, and why are you here?" a voice growled in her ear. It was obviously a man, but he spoke so quietly that she couldn't distinguish anything about his voice or accent.

"I uh..." her brain seemed to have a break down and she couldn't think of a good answer. "Sight seeing?

"Who are you?" the man demanded. "I won't ask you again."

"Umm... Thelma Lue?" she replied.

Silence. Then, "I'll have to ask you to come with me, Miss Lue." She had no idea if he'd accepted that as her real name or if he was simply tired of playing games. And the blade at her throat made it clear she didn't have any choice on the matter.

She nodded. "Okay..."

He released her shirt collar simply to exchange that hold to grip the scruff of her neck. Then, keeping the blade near her throat, he began to escort her roughly down the hall and then down a small flight of stairs. Afterwards, then went through a trap door in the floor that lead to a hidden facility underground, beneath the building.

"Keep your feet moving," the black-clad thug growled as he led her down another flight of stairs and then he shoved her roughly into a room.  
That's when she noticed Kurt on the floor in the room, motionless and apparently unconscious.

"I don't know what you punks hope you'll find here," the man growled, "but we're gonna round up all of you and lock you in here."

"Oh yeah?' she asked, trying to sound tough. 'Not if we lock you up first."  
what a lame come back she felt like an idiot even as she said it.  
He snorted. "Let's see you try it... from the other side of this door." He slammed it shut, then she heard the sound of a key turning in the lock on the other side.

"Oh great!" she shouted. She kicked the door but only accomplished hurting her foot. She sighed in frustration and sat down on the floor. "This sucks. So much for helping. I come long and look what happens? I get caught two seconds later and locked in a cell with..." she glanced at Kurt. 'A practical joker."

A moment later she heard the sound of shuffling feet just outside the door. Then she began to smell something unpleasant... something that smelled like gasoline. "Too many punks sniffing around this place," she heard her captor grumble on the other side of the door. "Too much evidence lying around... gonna scorch the place."

Uh oh. She clenched her teeth together. They were going to burn the place down and take her with them! "I have to get out of here!" she looked back at kurt, remembering that he could teleport. If she could just wake him up.  
She knelt over him and began to shake him. "hey! hey, wake up! We have a crisis!"

He moaned a little and his tail twitched a little, but he didn't open his eyes or react in any other way.  
'WAKE UP!" she exclaimed, doing better this time. She pulled him up and slapped his cheeks.

"Ehn-ugh!" Kurt exclaimed, shaking his head and then his eyes flew open. "What? Brooke? Is that you?"

'of course it's me," she said. "who else had blue hair?"

Kurt looked like he was about to say something when he glanced sharply toward the door. Now they could both smell smoke. "Oh no!" he exclaimed, realizing what was happening.

"They're going to burn the place down," she told him. "you have to warp us out of here or whatever you do, quick!"

"I'll try," Kurt replied. "Only... I don't know exactly where we are, and if I don't know where I'm going, I could put us inside a wall or in the floor or something!"

Brooke stared at him. "You're kidding..."  
"It's not my fault. Someone snuck up behind me and the next thing I knew... I woke up in this room."

Brooke was tempted to throttle the poor boy but held herself back. She sighed and let him go. "So what now? We can't just sit here and do nothing! They're going to burn us up!"

Kurt tensed, gritting his teeth as his eyes darted around the small room. Obviously he was considering his options. "Give me your hand," he finally said, reaching out toward her. "I'll have to chance it-that fire is getting closer!" Indeed, the door was starting to glow red.

She had no choice. But she grabbed his arm instead of his hand. "All right, kid. Poof or shazam or whatever you do do it!"

There was no time to discuss it further. Everything around them suddenly vanished, and after a very brief out-of-body experience that happened almost too quickly for her mind to register, they were suddenly in a different area of the building.

And they found themselves in what appeared to have been a lab. There was a lab table in the center of the room and a computer terminal... though it looked as though everything else was either missing or had been ransacked.

And none other than Logan and Rogue were in the room.

"There you are," Logan said. "I was getting a little concerned since we lost sight of-" Then his eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here, kid?" he demanded, looking straight at Brooke.

"No time," Kurt interjected. "Someone is here and has started a fire. This place is going to burn down!"

Logan's eyes widened a little, then he sniffed the air. "Thought I smelled something burning," he acknowledged. "I think we've found all we're gonna find in here anyway. Everybody out!"

That sounded good to Brooke but. 'Um... which way it out exactly?"

No one answered her directly; Logan began to lead the way while Rogue grabbed Brooke's arm with her gloved hand. Kurt followed closely behind as they all fled the room and headed for the nearest exit.

Once outside, Logan lead the way toward the vehicle. They arrived to find the car sitting there... but Kitty was nowhere in sight.

"Aw crap," Logan groaned. "Where is she?" He sniffed the air, attempting to lock onto her scent. Then he scowled. "Someone else was has been by here," he growled.

"But where is Kitty?" Kurt exclaimed in alarm.

"Don't know," Logan replied curtly. "You two," he snapped, indicating Kurt and Brooke, "stay with the car and holler if you see anything. Rogue, come on." He began to move, with Rogue right behind him.

Brooke sighed and leaned against the car. "What am I? Some kind of watch dog?' she grumbled. "I wanted to help not baby sit a car."  
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Kurt asked, looking at her intently. "And how did you get here?"

She looked at him. "What am I doing here?" she asked, brushing back a strand of her blue hair. "I wanted to help as I just said and how, I stowed away in the trunk."

"How did you get in there? I didn't see you." He looked puzzled.  
She shrugged. "I don't know," she said. 'One minute I was running toward the car and the next I was in there, though I highly doubt I teleported like you do."

"That is weird," Kurt exclaimed. "But... where were you in the car? I didn't see you in the seats."

"I already told you," she said. 'I was in the trunk. Pay attention, fuzzball."  
"Oh," he said simply. Before he could say anything else, both of them heard a noise off in the distance. Kurt jumped a little. "What was that?" he exclaimed, looking around.

Like she could answer that. She look around, listening intently. "Maybe it is Kitty coming back to the car."

A moment later, Wolverine and Rogue appeared once again. Kitty's unconscious form was draped across Logan's arms. "I'm going to put her in the passenger seat," he said, "then I'll drive. We gotta get out of here, NOW."  
"Uh sure." Brooke looked at the car. There didn't seem to be enough room for all of them. "Umm.."

Logan opened the passenger side door and gently but quickly set Shadowcat down and strapped her in. Then he dashed around the front of the car and looked at the others, then glared. "Get in!" he snapped as he opened the driver's door.

"Brooke, sit in Kurt's lap if you have to, but get in and strap yourself in."  
She looked at Kurt. "You want me to sit in his lap?" she exclaimed, pointing at him. "What is he poofs out of the car by accident and drops me in the middle of the road?"

"He won't." Logan was now in the driver's seat and he shut the door. "Get in!" he shouted. Rogue was already in and Kurt slipped into the other back seat, leaving the door open for Brooke. "Come on!" he urged her.

Another noise sounded off in the distance. It sounded like gunfire, or like something had exploded. They could definitely smell smoke now.

"All right." she climbed in and sat on his lap. "But if you so much as pinch my butt you're going to get a face full of fist. Got that, fuzzball?"

He blinked, then deliberately held his arms away from both of them. "Don't worry," he told her nervously.

Just as Logan proceeded to pull away from the building, there was another loud noise and then the entire complex erupted into flames, as though a fuel tank or something had gone off. They were getting away from it in the knick of time.

Brooke looked out the back window, her eyes widening. "Wow!"

"Some fireworks, eh?" Rogue remarked, looking out the window.

"Hang on," Logan said. "We'll be home in no time."

*****

Upon returning to the Xavier Institute, the small group found themselves in Xavier's office for a debriefing. The professor raised an eyebrow when he noticed that Brooke was with them, but made no immediate comment.

The first thing he did was use his telepathy to ask Hank McCoy to come into the office to examine Kitty, who was just waking up. Scott and Jean were standing watch at the medical bay, so he was free to check her out. Hank determined that Shadowcat had a minor concussion, but she would be fine.

A short debriefing followed, during which time everyone was required to tell what happened. During this, Logan handed the professor a data disk containing what little information he and Rogue had managed to glean before the entire complex erupted into flames.

"So it seems that someone didn't want any of us to find out what they were doing there," Xavier mused, taking the disk and turning it over in his hands. He would put it into the mainframe in a little while to check it out. "Very well, good work all of you. I'm pleased to see that everyone made it out okay."

"Just barely," Logan stated.

They wrapped up their debriefing, then Charles thanked them all and indicated that they were dismissed and should go and get some rest... all except for Brooke. Xavier asked her to remain.

Once everyone else had left the office, the professor regarded the girl silently for a moment. Then he said, "Why did you follow them out and sneak into the vehicle?"

"I wanted to help,' she told him. "You said we should use our powers for the good of man kind so I tried to do what you suggested but.." she sighed. "I suck. I was useless."

"That's partly because you weren't ready yet," Xavier said, gently but firmly. "You need time to learn how to control your powers, and you need to learn the art of self-defense and at least a few standard combat tactics before you're ready to go into a dangerous situation." He looked at her intently, hoping she understood.

'Oh.." she sighed. 'I'm sorry..." she looked away.

"Furthermore," Xavier went on in the same tone of voice, "you need to understand that we have rules here that must be obeyed for a reason. You didn't tell anyone where you were going, and you stowed away on a dangerous mission you were not assigned to."

He paused briefly to allow those words to sink in, but then continued before she could say anything. "Under normal circumstances, you would get a least a few days' of detention for this. However, from what the others have said, you did help save Kurt. So I am going to overlook this with a warning, as long as you promise not to do anything like this again. Understood?"

She nodded. 'I understand."

He nodded in kind, then his expression softened into a small smile. "Good," he said. "Now I suggest you get some rest. We're going to be doing combat exercises in the Danger Room tomorrow, and you must be well-rested for that."

She nodded again. 'Okay. May I go now?"

"Yes," he told her. "Good night, Brooke. I hope you sleep well tonight."

She opened so too. "Good night," she said before going out of the office and heading back to her room. When she entered it she looked over at the empty bed. Where was that other girl anyway?

maybe the girl had been transferred out? Well it wasn't her business anyway. She turned away from the bed and lay down on her own. staring at the ceiling. "I wonder if anyone noticed I went out in my PJ's?"  
That didn't seem to matter anymore either though it was an embarrassing thought. Who knew what Logan thought of her now, walking around outside in her bed clothes. She sighed and rolled on her side. "I just hope I do better tomorrow." she closed her eyes. 'Danger Room? That doesn't sound very inviting."

*****

After Brooke left his office, Xavier headed down to the Cerebro room to put the DVD disk into the computer system there. Then he proceeded to look at the contents on the disk... only to find that most of the retrieved data was encrypted. He sighed softly, knowing it would take some time to decrypt it in order to get any useful information off of it.

Until then, though... they would just have to continue as they were doing now. Keep Jill under guard while she slept, but otherwise proceed with the status quo and keep an eye and an ear out for any more antics from this mysterious Dr. Zane.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

The next morning Brooke woke up, feeling a bit crabby. She actually hadn't slept well at all the night before, being constantly woken up every hour because she thought she heard someone talking in their sleep in the next room.  
She sighed and sat up, looking out the window at the rising sun. What time was it anyway? She looked at the clock. It was barely past 6. No wonder. She sighed and flopped back onto the bed, deciding to try and get a few extra hours. Who got up this early anyway?

It seemed like she had just barely closed her eyes when she felt someone gently shaking her shoulder. "Brooke?" she heard someone saying. "It's time to get up." She cracked her eyes open to see none other than Jill standing over her, her brown hair framing her face perfectly.

"What do you want?" Brooke demanded. "let me sleep. It's too early to get up. "Go bother someone else."

"It's 8:45, and they asked me to wake you up," Jill persisted gently. "It's time for breakfast."

"I don't eat breakfast,' she grumbled, stuffing her pillow over her head. "Now leave me alone."

Jill looked at her for a moment longer, then shrugged. "Well... whether or not you eat breakfast, they want you down in the danger room in about an hour. I don't know what it's about or anything, but I think they want to see how well you handle yourself in a crisis or something like that. Everybody is taking turns with it, I think."

The Danger Room. She'd nearly forgotten about that. She moaned into the mattress. "Training on a Sunday?' What kid of maniacs were these people anyway? Didn't they know Sundays were for sleeping in and napping on the sofa during football games? "Fine. I'm up." she pushed herself up and sat down, rubbing her eyes. "This sucks."

"Hey at least you get to do things," Jill said. "Apparently they don't want me to do much of anything until they find out more about whatever this stuff is in my brain. I think they're worried I'm gonna go on a rampage or something because nobody knows anything about this technology in me."

Brooke looked at her. "Care to switch places?"

Jill smiled in wry humor. "If you don't mind having to stay awake all the time unless someone locks you in a room and puts a guard on you... sure," she said.  
She stared at her. 'On second thought." she stood up went over to the dresser. She'd rather sleep than stay up all the time.

"Yeah, that's what I figured," Jill rolled her eyes a little. "You know... I'll be glad when we get this sorted out. This stupid robot system-or whatever it is-is making me sleepwalk and attack people, apparently."  
"Can't the Professor do anything about it? like use his mental powers to turn it off or something?"

Jill shrugged. "I dunno. They keep telling me they're doing everything they can, but I guess they want to be careful so that they don't kill me or something. They said it's like nothing they've ever seen before."

"Maybe they should ask Kitty Pryde to take it out," she suggested, taking out a blue t-shirt. "Since she can faze through things and stuff."

Jill opened her mouth, then closed it. She seemed to ponder the idea for a moment. "Maybe I'll ask her to do that anyway," she said. "Whatever the case... I'm getting tired of worrying about this."

"Then don't," she said. 'the more you think about soemthing the more it ill plague and it will turn you into a paranoid freak and you'll never be able to leave your house or anything." she was making it worse.

Jill flinched a little. "What if this never gets better, or what if I end up going to sleep and can't snap out of the sleepwalk mode? What if I turn into a complete robot zombie freak?"

Brooke sighed and looked at her. "There, that's exactly what I mean," she said. "You need to get a hold of yourself, girl. If you keep this up you'll become a scytso."

The brown-haired girl opened her mouth and then closed it. "Um... yeah I guess you're right," she said slowly. "It's just... I can barely sleep as it is, because I'm worried that I won't wake up, or that someone might have to punch me again to get me to snap out of it."

"If you don't sleep you know you'll eventually crash anyway,' she pointed out. "so even if you try not to now it will eventually happen."

Jill sighed. "Yeah. Well... I guess I better get going. Hank McCoy wants to run a few more tests in the medical bay... oh joy," she said sarcastically.  
"Oh." she took out her jeans then paused. "What if they make me wear one of those ugly uniforms?"

Jill shrugged. "Then wear it. At least you'll be off moving around while I'm still being treated like a human science project."

She didn't want to wear it. She looked at her a moment then sighed. 'Fine. If they make me wear it I'll wear it." she took her jeans anyway. "Hey um..."  
Jill looked at her. "What?"

"Maybe things will get better for you soon," she said. 'I mean it can't get any worse, can it?"

"Hmmm. I suppose they can't... unless I end up hurting or killing someone," Jill said. She was starting to become quite the pessimist.  
She sighed. "If you say so." she headed for the door.

"Good luck today," Jill told her, with as much cheerfulness as she could muster.

'I'll need it."

*****

When Brooke arrived at the Danger Room, she found that several students were already in line ahead of her. Before she could get in line, a woman clad in a form-fitting purple dress complete with a flowing cape touched her arm. "Please come with me," she said in a deep, professional voice. The thing that was truly eye-catching about this woman was that her face was smooth and free of wrinkles, and it seemed that even though she was an adult, she was not old enough to have white hair. Perhaps it was possible that it was actually very pale blond hair or something.

Brooke nodded and followed the woman.

Storm led her into a nearby room and motioned for her to sit down at the table. "Before you enter the Danger Room," she said, "we should determine what you can do and how well you can control it. Professor Xavier tells me that you can manipulate water, is this correct?" Something about her stance suggested that she already knew everything she needed to know, and that she was merely trying to open a dialogue with the girl.

Brooke nodded. "I guess you could say that."

Storm inclined her head and then picked up a glass of water off the nearby counter. "What I want you to do," she said as she placed the glass on the table in front of Brooke, "is concentrate, and see if you can make the water rise out of the cup and then ease it back into it. Just relax, and see if you can accomplish this with your own willpower."

"Umm... ok..." she looked unsure but what did she have to lose anyway?  
She stared at the glass and concentrated, trying to mentally make it leave the cup.

Storm stood just a few feet away, watching her closely, and yet somehow managed to look almost nonchalant about it. It was probably her way of not wanting to make her student nervous or uneasy.

The water didn't seem to want to do what she was making it do. Finally she sighed and dropped her head. 'I can't do it."

Storm frowned ever so slightly, but spoke with a cool gentleness. "It's alright, it is only your first attempt. Try again."

She sighed and tried again, feeling frustrated. Why did this power only work when she got upset anyway? It was so stupid. Who wanted to control water anyway? "Dumb water! Do soemthing!" she shouted.

The water did something all right. It erupted. Right into Storm's face.  
Storm instinctively raised her hand in front of her face, a little too late. She turned her face to one side, coughing and spluttering a little after the liquid intruded in her mouth and nostrils. Portions of her hair were now a little wet as well.

After a few moments, she finally turned back to look at her student again. "Let us... focus on this for a moment," she said patiently. "How were you able to do that, just now, with so much force?"  
"I don't know," she told her. "This is what always happens when I get upset. It does it on it's own."

"I don't believe that," Storm stated. "I think that you need to learn how to tap into your natural power while you have a calm mind. When you grow angry or frustrated, your power takes control of you. But you don't have to let it do that."

She sighed. "Either way I can't make it do what I want it to. It's not like I wanted this stupid power to begin with. It's useless."

"But you do have it," Storm said gently. "And its your responsibility to learn how to use it. Remember this; your power can be a gift or a curse. It all depends on what you let it be. Do you understand?"

"Yeah I understand." she sighed.

"Good." Storm picked up the fallen glass and placed it on the counter, then picked up a second glass of water and placed it in front of the girl. Apparently she had fully expected something like this to happen, or at the very least she was prepared for it. "Now let's try this again," she said. And this time she stood on the other side of the room.

Brooke stared at the water. She wondered how long she'd be forced to sit in this room trying to make that water move around before someone realized this was worthless and let her leave. She sighed, raising her hand and tapping the glass. "Dumb water."

Out of all the powers she could have gotten she had to get the ability to play with water. How pathetic. What good was it anyway? It wasn't like ice or fire or anything fun. All water did was drench people.

"Come on, do something for me," she muttered.

The water just sat there.

Storm watched in silence for a few moments, then walked over to stand beside the table. She glanced from Brooke to the glass, then back at Brooke again.

"You're not trying hard enough, Brooke," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "Focus."

"I am focused!" she snapped. 'How much more can you focus on a glass of water anyway? If I was anymore focused I'd be IN the glass!"  
Storm frowned a little, and she actually released a small sigh of impatience. She was very careful to keep her voice calm and her expression neutral, though.

"The key to your power is in your mind," she said. "Try to channel your energy. If it helps, raise your hand and imagine your fingers being the source of your control, like a magician holding a wand."

Raise her hand? She sighed and did so, only when she did her hand changed colors. It got a weird liquidy look to it. She stared at it, her eyes widening.

"ARGH!"

Storm blinked and appeared a little taken aback. She leaned forward and gently touched Brooke's hand, her fingers going right through it. She withdrew her hand, her fingers now slick with water. "Your powers are continuing to manifest themselves!" she exclaimed.

"Make it go away!" she exclaimed. 'I don't want it!" and as she flipped out the rest of her started changing.

Storm's eyes widened and she looked a little taken aback, though she still stood there as if this was something she saw every day. "Brooke," she said, "stay calm. I have a feeling this perfectly normal for you!"

"Stay calm?" she exclaimed. 'I'm turning into a freak!" Now her entire arm had become like her hand and it was spreading to her chest. 'Help!"  
Storm placed a hand on her shoulder-on the side of her small form that hadn't turned into water yet. "It's okay, just stay in control," she said. "Make your arm return to normal. You can do it."

"I don't even know how it turned like this to begin with!" she exclaimed. The transformation started spreading to the rest of her body. 'I don't want to be a water girl!"

Storm withdrew her hand a few inches away from the girl, watching in silence until her body had changed completely into water. "Amazing," Storm finally said in astonishment. She had seen mutants who could change into fire, ice and even her own nephew looked like a porcupine. But this was the first time she'd seen someone change entirely into water. "You have a unique and precious gift, Brooke."

"You call this a gift?" she demanded, her voice having a strange liquidy sound to it. "I look like a freak! I want to go back to normal!"

"As I have been saying you can do it," Storm urged. "Search inside yourself and find a way to do it."

How did she expect her to do that? She didn't even know how she'd wound up this way to begin with. She took some deep breathes, trying to calm herself. Now wasn't the time to panic. She needed to focus. Come on girl, think! You did soemthing to make this happen now undo it!

She concentrated hard, focusing on making her body return to normal.  
It took awhile but it did begin to happen, just really slowly. First her fingers began solid against and then the rest of her body. In a matter of minutes she was herself again.

"That's it," Storm encouraged with approval. "In time you'll learn to do that very quickly."

"I don't want to do it at all!"

The teacher sighed. "Brooke, this is a part of what you are. It is part of who you are. I know it seems new and strange now, but someday you will be able to embrace and use it for good."

"I don't see how turning into water can be useful," she muttered, clenching her hands into fists.

"Every power has its uses," Storm said. "Sometimes you won't know how it is needed, or how it can be used, until the right time comes. You just need to be patient and do your very best to master it."

She sighed. 'Fine."

Storm cocked her head slightly to one side. "Do you wish to continue the lesson?" she asked.

"I guess." Hopefully that weird transformation wouldn't happen twice.

"Good," Storm said in approval. "Now..." she gently pushed the glass a few inches toward her. "See if you can do something with this."  
Brooke stared at the glass again and sighed. Might as well give it another shot. She stared at it, concentrating hard. The water seemed to move a little but that was it.

Storm nodded a little. "That... is a good start," she said. "Now-"  
Just then, someone appeared in the doorway. "Storm?" Jean Gray peered in. "It's Brooke's turn in the Danger Room."

"Thank you, Jean," Storm nodded. She turned back to Brooke. "Well, this lesson is over for now," she said.

She got up. "I have to go in now?" she wasn't ready. All she managed to do was turn into Aqua Lady and make water blow up into Storm's face and neither was much of an accomplishment.  
Storm nodded. "You will do fine," she told her. "Professor Xavier understands that this is your first time, so you will not have to rely on your powers... much."

"Much?" she stared at her like she was crazy.

A small smile flashed across her teacher's face. "Don't worry," she said.

"Come." She began to move toward the door.

Brooke followed her out of the room, not feeling reassured at all.

*****

Jill was not in a good mood. After a series of tests and another thorough examination, Hank McCoy-aka "Beast"-had said that they'd finally gotten as much information as they needed, and he gave her permission to leave the medical bay as long as she stayed in sight of someone else at all times. Most of the people around the Institute now knew that she wasn't allowed to go to sleep unless she was in the medical bay, so she knew that they'd already taken every precaution they could while letting her have as much freedom as possible. She just wasn't allowed to go outside... not that she had anywhere to go.

She found herself sitting in one of the rooms on the first floor. She wasn't particularly sure why she'd chosen to sit in here. Maybe it was because Logan was on the other side of the room, reading the paper. Apparently he was just chilling out or whatever it was he was doing, and she didn't mind being around him. Maybe it was because he had rescued her, and he'd been nice enough to stay up with her the night before.

She sat in silence for a few moments. He spared her a glance or two, but mostly seemed intent on reading the paper. Finally she stood from her chair and walked toward him, clearing her throat. "Hey," she greeted him.  
He glanced up at her. "Hi," he said and then he looked back down at his paper, a clear indication that he wanted to be left alone.

She picked up on the hint. Clearing her throat sheepishly, she said, "Um, I just wanted to say thanks and all. For everything you've done for me lately, I mean."

"Don't mention it, kid." he said.

Jill nodded a little. He went back to reading the paper, obviously aware of her presence but tuning it out. She was beginning to realize that he was more of the "lone wolf" sort, which she could understand. She knew that she had times when she wanted to be alone, and her dad had always been the same way.  
"Well... I'll leave you to your paper," she said with a smile, then she returned to her seat across the room. If she had to sit there in silence for a while, that was fine by her. Just so long as she didn't have to put up with more tests or examinations.

Logan glanced up from his paper to watch her for a moment. "Hey, are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," she nodded a little. "Well..." After a moment's hesitation, she chose to be honest. "Not really. I don't like whatever those people did to me. And I'm getting tired of everybody checking me out just to keep telling me that they have to wait and find out more first before they can do anything." She sighed.

He nodded. "I understand." Boy did he ever.

She frowned as she continued to think about it. "I almost feel like... I have to be extremely careful now," she went on. "You've seen what I can do. And well... in the medical bay, there were a couple of times where I accidentally hurt Beast a little and I think I bent part of the bed frame or whatever last night when I was thrashing in my sleep. I mean, I'm supposed to be human, you know? Now I feel like I have to treat the rest of the world like it's made out of glass or something." She swallowed. Just the thought that she would have to spend the rest of her life being careful around everything and everyone was not pleasant.

He understood that too.

"How do you manage?" she blurted in spite of herself, looking directly at him now.

"How do I manage what?" he asked her, though he had the sneakingest suspicious he already knew the answer.

"I mean... how do you live day by day, being what you are?" she tried to clarify. She just hoped it didn't sound rude that way.  
His gruff features softened into a thoughtful expression. "Look, kid," he said as he folded the paper and put it down in his lap, "there's one thing you need to remember. No matter what kind of crap you go through, or bad people make you go through, you can survive anything. You just gotta stay strong."

"Ugh I'm too strong now, that's the problem," Jill grumbled.

"No," Wolverine said, seeing that she didn't get what he was saying. "You need to stay strong for yourself. No matter what happens, don't let them get to you. Don't let it break you, and don't let anyone get control over you. If you feel like it's getting to be too much to handle... talk to someone. Either me, or Charles Xavier, or someone else around here. Sometimes it's important to know when to lean on your friends."  
Jill stared at him, considering his words for a long moment. Finally she said,

"I'll... try to remember that." She still seemed a bit uncertain.

"Good," he nodded and stood. "So, do you have any plans for today?"

"Um... not really," she said with a shrug. "I'm not supposed to go outside, and you already know I can't sleep or anything without somebody watching me. But I don't want to sleep right now anyway; I'd rather find something else to do."

"Like what?"

"I dunno. What kind of things do people do around here for fun?"  
"Well there's the Xbox in the livngroom..."  
She perked up and seemed intrigued. "Oh?" she said. "What kind of games are on it?"

He shrugged. How would he know? he had more important things to do than sit down and play silly games for hours. "Why don't you go and see for yourself?" he suggested.

"I think I will," she said, brightening a little. "The living room is this way, right?" she asked, pointing to the left as she approached the door.

"Try the other direction."

"Right," Jill nodded, turning the other way and heading out the door. It always took her a while to learn her way around in new places, and this building was huge.

Logan sighed and picked up the paper again.

*****

Storm lead the way to the Danger Room and then nodded at Jean as they approached. The tall, red-haired woman turned to look at them as they came near. There was no one else standing outside the room now.

"Rahne Sinclair is there right now," Jean said, then her mouth quirked into a small smile. "Though I think she prefers to be called Wolfsbane these days. She'll be done shortly."

"I assume you've met Jean, Brooke?" Storm said, turning to look at the blue-haired girl.

She shook her head. 'Actually..."

Jean gave a warm smile. "Actually," she chimed in, "I don't think we've met. I'm Jean Gray. And you are...?" She extended her hand to Brooke.

"Brooke," she said.

"Nice to meet you, Brooke." Jean said. She gazed down at her hand for a moment, then dropped it.

"I'll leave you to your student," Storm said, and then she excused herself and walked away, leaving Jean and Brooke alone.

"So," Jean said into the silence, "how much combat or self-defense training do you have under your belt?"

"How about none?" she asked. "I was on the swim team not the wrestling team."

"Well... that's okay," Jean amended, running her fingers through her fiery red hair. "That's what you're here to learn. We're just going to teach the basics today, okay?"

"Why do we need to learn self defense anyway?" she asked. "I mean what's the big deal? It's like you expect to run into trouble or use this for crime fighting or soemthing. I just want to live a normal life."

"I understand that," Jean said. "But there may come a time when you will need to defend yourself. Not everyone in the world is going to be nice or leave you alone."

"Don't I know it?" she grumbled, remembering the girl from her school.

"Come on, the least you can do is give it a chance," Jean urged.

"Fine." what could it hurt?

A moment later, the door to the Danger Room opened and something that appeared to be a brown dog came out. Its fur was a little scruffed up, as though it had been through some kind of ordeal. Its large, dark-colored eyes blinked a couple of times as though adjusting to the different light, then it shook its furry coat and gazed upward. Its eyes went from Brooke, to Jean, then back at Brooke again.

Brooke stepped back. She'd had a fear of dogs since an incident from her early childhood. "You let dogs in here?"

In the next instant, the dog morphed into a fully clothed human girl on her hands and knees. The girl then stood to her full height and smiled apologetically. "Sorry," she said. "I always take on my wolf form when I train."

"Your power is turning into a dog?" Brooke asked her.

"Actually it's a wolf," the girl clarified. "I'm Rahne Sinclair. Who're you?"  
Jean remained silent and watching, allowing the two girls to get introduced by themselves.

"Brooke Walton," she said.

"Hi!" Rahne grabbed Brooke's hand and gave it a little shake, as if wanting to prove that she did have hands now instead of furry paws. "Welcome to the school!"

She let her, not really shaking back. She wasn't very comfortable being around a girl who could turn into soemthing she feared. 'Um.. thanks... i think."

"Well," Jean spoke up, as though sensing the awkwardness that was forming, "it's time to begin your self-defense exercises, Brooke."  
Rahne took the hint and stepped back, putting her hands into her pockets. "It was nice meeting you, Brooke," she said as she turned to walk away.

"Bye..."

"Come on," Jean said, moving toward the door and opening it. She then held up an arm, indicating with a smile that Brooke should go in first.  
Brooke sighed and walked into the room. "At least I don't have to wear the ugly uniform."

Soon afterwards, the training session began.

*****

Jill hogged the xbox all afternoon, but finally got off of it when Kurt complained. By that time she was ready to get something to eat anyway. She had skipped lunch... and possibly even dinner, she quickly realized when she passed the dining room and saw several people clearing the plates.

She went into the kitchen to see if anything was left. She found what appeared to be leftovers sitting on a plate; it looked like meat and mashed potatos. She shrugged, deciding it was good enough. She walked over to the counter and proceeded to serve herself.

A moment later Brooke came into the room and walked over to the sink, fetching a glass and then opening the fridge to check out the choices of drink.

"Hey," Jill greeted her. "How did things go today?"

"Sucky." she slammed the fridge door shut.

"Ouch," Jill exclaimed, taking a seat at the table. She set her plate in front of her and then said, "So... what happened? If you don't mind me asking."

"I turned into Aqua Lady," she said, sounding annoyed.

Jill blinked. "Aqua Lady? What does that mean?"  
Brooke sighed. "Let me show you." and then she tranformed into her liquid state. "How do I look?" she asked. "Aren't I a sexy thing?" her voice was loaded with sarcasm.

Jill started with a gasp, nearly dropping her fork on the floor. After a moment though, she recovered. She'd already seen a few weird things around the mansion, so it wasn't like this shocked her entirely.

Then when she found her voice, she said the stupidest thing imaginable-at least she thought so. "Well... Iceman might think so."

Brooke glared at her. "Ha ha ha, very funny." she went back to her normal form. "I don't want to be able to do that. It's useless. Who wants to walk around looking like a human fish bowl?"

Jill had to suppress a laugh by stuffing her mouth full of mashed potatoes and forcing herself to concentrate on chewing. After she swallowed she said,

"Well... I dunno what to say. I guess you can either try to make the most of it or go around being miserable about it." She sighed softly, thinking of her own problems. Now that she was not pouring her mental energy into playing those stupid games, her mind wandered back to the issue of being part robot. She still wasn't sure what to make of it. She supposed that she was still trying to get over the newness and the weirdness of it all.

"Hey," she said. "are you okay? I mean, how did your day go?"

"I just sat around the xbox all day until Kurt wanted it," Jill answered with a shrug. "And pretty soon I need to go back to the medical bay where Beast will probably want to look at something or other, even if it's just my pulse or whatever. Then I'll have to lay down and let them lock the doors while they post a guard on me." She shoved her plate away, suddenly losing her appetite. "I almost feel like just running away from here or something. At least that way, I wouldn't have to deal with all this."

"How come they locked you in?" she asked. 'were you taking a nap?"

"No I mean they'll lock me in tonight when I'm ready to go to sleep for the night," Jill clarified. "It's so frustrating, you know? Back on Friday night, when I first went to sleep, something happened so that I started sleep-walking and I guess I attacked Logan. Beast and Professor Xavier think it has something to do with these implants."

Jill stopped rambling, knowing that she had already said all of this before and it was starting to get repetitive. But as far as she knew, the professor was still trying to decrypt the information he'd managed to get, and they were no closer to solving the problem.

Brooke sighed and walked toward her. "So you attack people in your sleep then? You sure you're not a mutant with an odd power that makes you deadly while you sleep? Or maybe you have multiple personalities."

Jill blinked. "I... I don't know." Her eyes widened as she began to consider the possibility more. "What if something happens in my head that makes me attack people while I'm awake? Or what if I fall asleep and no one is able to stop me? What if I end up killing someone?" Her voice had risen to a nearly hysterical shriek and her breathing was becoming more rapid.

"Whoa girl, calm down before you break something!" Brooke exclaimed. "You're not doing anyone any good flipping out like that."

"But what if it happens?" Jill shouted. "I just... I just..." She stood up so quickly that her arm collided firmly with the edge of the table... and a piece of the table broke off and fell on the floor.

Brooke let out a yelp of surprise and stepped back. 'Uh okay.. that was freaky."  
Jill stared at the table, then looked at her own arm. "I'm nothing but an inhuman robot freak!" she exclaimed, brushing past Brooke. "I need to get out of here."

Brooke watched her go. She wanted to call her back but what could she say to her? She wasn't all that human either, or at least that's how she felt. She sighed. 'I know how you feel, girl."

*****

Professor Charles Xavier was finally making some headway with the encrypted files, thanks to a powerful decryption program he had on the mainframe. He'd simply needed to modify and upgrade a few algorithms, and now he was good to go.

Once he had a large chunk of the data decrypted, he began to look it over. His brow furrowed as he looked over the data, then he frowned.

When he finished reading, he breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. "Oh... no," he said aloud.


	6. Chapter 6

Brooke headed to her bedroom, still bothered by what had happeend in the diningroom earlier. "Poor girl. I wonder what it's like having soemthing like that done to you? It must feel really uncomfortable... and heavuy." she imagined ehrself with metal limbs and shuddered. "On second thought... maybe being a water woman isn't so bad after all."

Just as she neared her room, she suddenly saw Logan coming out of one of the other rooms up there. His expression was as stern as usual, and well, unlike the last time she'd seen him, he was fully clothed in a black shirt and jeans. However the shift was short-sleeved, completely revealing his thick and muscular arms.

He eyed her as he started to walk past and he paused, frowning a little. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh uh, no!" she exclaimed, fluttered. A blush came to her cheeks. 'I was just umm... nice arms." she slapped ehr forehead. That was a dumb thing to say.

Logan raised an eyebrow. He stared at her for a long moment, then grunted. "Um... yeah," he smirked slightly as if amused, "if you want some like mine, you need to work out."

"Oh sure!" ugh why was she saying such stupid things today? He must think she was the biggest airhead on the planet!

Now his mouth actually twitched into a smile. "Stick with the Danger Room, kid," he said. "I doubt you could handle my kind of working out." There seemed to be a hidden, double-meaning in that statement. He turned away, shaking his head ever so slightly as he started to walk away. "'Scuse me, need to go somewhere now."

"Okay!" she called after him. 'see you on the flip side!"

Logan made no reply; he only continued down the hall and then disappeared down the stairs.

Brooke sighed. "Face it, girl, you're lame. Nice arms? What kind of dumb compliment is that?"

"Did I just see that?" came a high, giddy voice behind her. She turned to see Kitty standing there. "Did I just see that?" she exclaimed excitedly.

"See what?" Brooke demanded.

"You said he had nice arms!" Kitty laughed. "You like him! You've got a crush on Mr. Logan!"

"No I don't!" she lied. "you're seeing things!"

"I saw you!" Kitty teased. "The way you looked at him-you really like him! That is so cute!"

'I do not like him!" she exclaimed.

"Right," Kitty said, and for a moment her face turned serious, making Brooke wonder if she was simply going to drop the subject. But then she said, "You just like his arms." Kitty cracked up then.

"It's not funny!" she protested. "and what would you know about it anyway? You're just an airheaded little girl!"

"Hey it's not like you're the only one who's ever had a crush," Kitty shrugged. "There was a time when I liked Scott." She giggled again. "Nowadays me and Lance are kinda going out, though. And Jean has Scott. But you never know!" That last remark was obviously meant to be a teasing one, since she just laughed again.

That did it. "That's not funny at all!" she yelled. Suddenly she raised her hand and a powrerful spray of water hit Kitty right in the chest, knocking ehr back against the wall.

Kitty landed on her bottom and her chest heaved a couple of times. Obviously the blast of water had knocked the breath out of her. "Hey!" she exclaimed indignantly once she recovered. "That wasn't nice!"

Brooke glared at her then looked at her hand. It returned to normal. She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. She stepped back then took off running.

"Hey-wait a minute!" Kitty called out, scrambling to her feet.

"Leave me alone!" she shouted over her shoulder.

Kitty stayed where she was and watched her go. "Man," she muttered under her breath, then headed toward her room.

Charles Xavier had summoned Storm, Logan and Beast to his office on short notice, immediately after leaving the Cerebro room. Once the three of them had arrived, he made certain the door was closed and then he regarded them gravely. "I called the three of you here to discuss an urgent matter," he began.

"What is this about, Professor?" Storm asked.

"It's about Jill," Xavier said. "I finally managed to decrypt the information we got from the secret lab, and I discovered something disturbing. It turns out that the implants will only remain dormant for so long; eventually they will forcefully take over, and make her return to Dr. Zane."

"So bringing her here was a waste of time?" Logan demanded.

"What about all of those examinations?" Hank chimed in. "Surely with a little more time we can find a way to sever a few of the implants and maybe that will break their hold over her."

Xavier shook his head. "From what I read," he said, "the implants were cleverly wired in such a way that any attempt to tamper with them or remove them will cause them to short-circuit, frying her brain. Even if she survived, she would become a mental vegetable."

"So it's either let them take over her mind or remove them and risk her beocming brian dead," Logan muttered. "Not good choices either way."

"Is there anything we can do?" Hank asked.

"Some of the information in those files was still vague and sketchy at best," Xavier replied thoughtfully. "I think the only hope we have would be to somehow track down Dr. Zane himself and find out if there is a method to render the implants dormant, or at least harmless. But," he sighed, "the only problem is that we don't know where he is. And neither do the police."

"If we had something that belong to him I could track him down."

Xavier frowned a little in Logan's direction. "The only place I know of where Zane has been was that lab, but it has been burned to the ground."

"There is one possibility," Hank mused, touching his chin thoughtfully. However, there was a grim, serious look in his eyes as he contemplated whatever he was thinking about.

"Care to share your thoughts with the rest of the class, Hank?" Logan demanded.

Beast sighed. "Let the implants take over," he suggested. "Then be ready to follow her as she leads us to Dr. Zane."

"That sounds incredibly risky," Xavier said calmly-so calmly, in fact, that the idea had probably crossed his mind, even if he didn't want to recommend it himself.

"There is probably some sort of default in those implants," Hank went on. "A pre-arranged rendevous that only they know. They will take us to this Dr. Zane, if we have a small group follow her."

"Hmmm," Xavier mused. He was silent for a long moment, then he looked at Storm. "You've been awfully quiet," he told her. "What do you think of this plan?" he asked her, wanting her opinion.

"It could work."

"Logan?" Xavier looked at his old friend now. The professor knew that Wolverine had spent more time around Jill than anyone else, and thus he was a bit more interested in his opinion.

"A group might draw too much attention," he stated. 'you want to find them not let the entire world know you're after him."

"Are you suggesting we send a single person to follow her?" Charles asked, even though he already knew the answer. He also knew what his friend was probably implying, even without the use of telepathy.

"That is exactly what I'm suggesting."

"You mean you, don't you?" Hank said.

"Who else?"

"I can't think of anyone else more suited for the task," Xavier finally said. Everyone knew that Wolverine was tougher than nails, and if he happened to lose visual contact of Jill, he would be able to follow her scent. "But I still don't like the idea of you going alone," he added after a moment, though he knew that he just might end up agreeing to it at this rate.

"I'm the only one who can do the job," he reminded him. 'No one else has the experience."

Xavier inhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes, releasing it slowly. "Very well," he said. "Be careful, Logan." A small smile formed on his lips. "Even though I know you will be."

"Aren't I always?'

"Sometimes more than others," Xavier said. "Now," he went on, "here is what we need to do. Logan, keep an eye on the medical bay tonight, but be discreet about it. We will leave someone else in charge of guarding it, and that person will allow himself or herself to be overpowered. This will allow Jill's cybernetic system to believe that it is free and clear, and you should be able to follow."

"We'll just need to make sure everybody else knows to stay clear of the medical bay," Hank pointed out.

"Don't worry, I will take care of that," Xavier said.

Logan sat outside the medical bay, watching the doors. It was after midnight so Jill was probably sleeping by now. he knew it was only a matter of time until she got out and headed to the man responsible for her current condition. he sighed, glancing at his watch. 12:05. Not long now.

Scott paced just inside the medical bay doors. He cast an occasional glance out the windows, in Logan's direction, but otherwise remained at attention. He was dressed in his new uniform, which showed off his muscular frame nicely. The kid had definitely grown up quite a bit and grown broader since he'd first became a part of the Institute.

The doors were locked, although they both knew that once Jill awoke and overpowered Scott-as was part of the plan-she would have no problem getting through those doors.

At exactly 12:25, one of Jill's eyes fluttered open-the robotic one-and she sat up rather abruptly and then remained motionless, as though getting her bearings. Scott tensed, then moved toward her. Logan saw his lips moving as though he was speaking to her, but he couldn't hear what was being said.

"Be careful, kid," he muttered anyway.

Jill suddenly swung her legs over the side of the bed and then stood to her full height. Scott took a step toward her, saying something that Logan assumed was something like, "Where are you going?" or "Sit back down". She ignored him as if he wasn't there; she moved forward, toward the door.

Scott grabbed her arm, stopping her. He then grabbed her by the shoulders and looked directly at her face, saying something else to her. She matter-of-factly shoved him aside and he ended up rolling over the bed and tumbling onto the floor on the other side.

She turned away and began to walk toward the door. Her movements were stiff, almost as though she truly was a robot now. Before she could reach the door, however, Scott was back on his feet and he darted toward her, grabbing her arms from behind. This time he spoke loudly enough for Logan to hear through the closed doors: "Jill, don't make me do this..."

Jill hesitated for a split-second, as though the implants in her brain were calculating their options. Then all of a sudden, she grabbed Scott and then used her robotic arm to throw him up and over herself, so that he handed sprawled out in front of her on the floor, flat on his face.

Then, after a moment, she matter-of-factly picked him up and used her inhuman strength to throw him through the closed and locked doors, killing two birds with one stone. Scott was now out of her way... and the doors were open for her.

"And the advanture begins," he muttered to himself, already moving.

Jill took off, making good way toward the front door. Once she was there she slipped out without even a glance back, then she went off running toward the front gate. Once she reached it, her cybernetic systems regarded it analytically for a few seconds, then she matter-of-factly leaped over it and landed cat-like on the other side. Then she stood and hesitated, as though calculating which way she was supposed to go next.

Logan watched her from a safe distance, wondering what she was going to do next. "Come on, kid," he mutetred. "Take me to your leader."

As if that was some sort of cue, she picked a direction and began to jog down the side of the street. She was moving faster than a normal human would, but not fast enough for him to lose her. She continued along a couple of the main streets for a little while, then she suddenly cut down side street and began to slow down to the pace of a normal jog, making him wonder if they were nearing the destination.

"Hmmm... "

She continued her current course along the sidewalk, then she suddenly stopped and then, after a moment, she practically dove into an alley, vanishing into the shadows.

A normal person might have lost her but, thanks to logan's excellent sense of smell, he managed to keep her in his sights. He moved toward the alley, cautiously, wondering how this was going to end.

She inched her way along the alley, keeping to the shadows. She glanced about, then she slowly sat down on the ground as though waiting for something... or someone.

Logan paused and ducked out of view. He watched her form his hiding palce. "Hmmm... Who are you waiting for?"

Several minutes ticked by. Suddenly there was a noise, and Jill's expressionless face turned toward the sound. A moment later, something that appeared to be a large cat-like a small mountain lion-came trotting into view. It came near Jill, looked at her, then let out a low rumble deep from within its throat.

Logan growled, nearly extracting his claws and rushing out to hlep her. But he remembered Xavier's words and held himself back.

Jill got to her feet. The cat cocked its head to one side, then turned and began to walk back the way it came. The girl began to follow it, looking less like a human and more like a robot... or even a zombie.

Logan watched them go. 'Now where is the kitty cat taking the kid?"

The cat led Jill out through the opposite side of the alley and to a nearby car. The engine was running, though there was no one in it. After a moment, the cat morphed into a very familiar blue form, casually dressed. "Get in," the woman said firmly to the girl, and Jill matter-of-factly climbed into the back seat as the older female got into the driver's seat.

"Mystique," Logan muttered. 'Nowwhy would she be involved with this?"

The blue-skinned woman cast a brief glance around, then she began to move the vehicle forward.

Wolverine moved to follow them.

The vehicle didn't go very far; it only went a couple of blocks, and the heavy traffic along with a couple of red traffic lights made the car very easy to follow. Finally it arrived at a small blue house in the middle of one street. It pulled up into the driveway, and then Mystique and Jill got out and headed for the front door. They went right inside without even knocking.

"Hmm..." Logan sneaked over to the house and peeked into a front window.

Jill was standing in the middle of the room just inside the house and it looked like Mystique was talking on a cell phone. Who was she talking to?

He decided to find out. Dropping down from the window he moved around the back of the house. There was an open window so he climbed in, landing in the darkened kitchen.

It didn't take him long to reach the front of the house, though he didn't go into the room where Mystique and Jill were; he simply pressed his ear to the closed door, listening.

Mystique's voice sounded slightly muffled through the door as she gave the location and street address of the house that they were in. "Like I said," she then went on, "I have the girl. And I will hold her until you get here. Yes, I will." It sounded like she hung up then.

"Hmmm..." he oepend the door slightly and peeked into the room.

Jill was now seated on the couch. In her robot-like stance now, it seemed that she didn't even noticed whether she was standing or sitting anymore, so Logan deduced that Mystique had told her to sit down.

The blue-skinned woman put her cell phone into her pocket, then frowned at Jill and regarded her for a long, thoughtful moment. "I know you can't understand me right now," she said to the younger girl, "but I'm going to say it anyway. I'm going to get to the bottom of this, and if you're lucky... you'll go free. I can't say I'm overly fond of humans, but... I don't want to see your kind used against mine. I plan to stop this Zane before he can go through with his plan."

"Mystique's a good guy?" he asked himself. "No, she must have an alterior motive."

Mystique walked closer to the couch and sank down onto it, on the opposite end from the girl. She inhaled deeply and exhaled into a sigh, then glanced toward Jill as she waited. Then her eyes happened to look toward the door to the next room... and she noticed that it was open a crack.

She tensed and her eyes narrowed.

Uh oh. Logan quickly moved away from the door. The last thing he needed was to be spotted.

Mystique stood and started toward the door-until she heard a knock at the front door. She cast a brief, suspicious glance toward the door to the next room, then she huffed slightly and moved to answer the front door. She opened it and then began to speak in quiet tones with whoever was at the door.

Logan returned to the door and peeked out again, watching her and listening carefully.

"I thought that Dr. Zane would be coming here himself, in person!" Mystique snapped. "I won't release her until I see him for myself."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Ma'am," replied a man at the door. "He had urgent business to attend to and couldn't come himself."

"What could possibly be more urgent than retrieving his lost property?" Mystique countered. "He's so over-confident, knowing that Jill would seek out either me or him-whoever happened to be here. But now he can't even be bothered to show up in person!"

The man made a nervous, throat-clearing sound. "I'm sorry, but he said he couldn't come, and he ordered me not to return without the girl."

"Then you'll take both of us," Mystique said, "because I wish to speak with him directly. Otherwise, he'll never see the girl again."

"He made it clear that he doesn't want you to come to his hideout."

"No?" Mystique turned away from the door, rolling her eyes. "How valuable would she be to you or your precious boss?" She reached into her pocket and withdrew a small weapon, aiming it at Jill's head.

The man's eyes flew wide. "No-! Don't!"

Mystique smiled smugly, but didn't lower the weapon. "So you agree to take me along?" she asked.

The man's eyes darted about, obviously considering his options. "Fine," he growled, then turned and walked away from the door. "Meet me at the car," he called out as he disappeared from sight.

Mystique grinned. "Smart man." She put the weapon away and then walked over to Jill, grabbing her arm. "Come on, girl," she said, pulling her to her feet. "Time to go."

Now where were they going? Wolverine quickly retraced his steps and jumped out the window, rushing around to the front of the house just in tiem to see the car drive away. he cursed and quickly took off ater them.

He realized he'd never be able to keep up with the car by running. He needed to think of a way to keep them in view. The only thing that came to mind was jumping on the roof. But that held a risk. He could be seen if he tried that.

The car continued forward until it was forced to stop behind two other cars at a red light. The tires screeched briefly as the driver hit the brakes, indicating that he probably would have kept on going if two cars weren't in front of him. Logan knew that this would be his best chance.

Logan got as close as he could to the car and jumped, Landing hard on the roof.

"What was that?" Mystique's voice exclaimed.

The door on the driver's side flew open and the man who'd been at the front door stepped out. He now appeared larger and burlier than he had from a distance. He took one look at Logan, then he aimed a punch at his chin.

Logan dodged it, but didn't get much of an opportunity to react, for Mystique had also climbed out and she took on a large, muscular form herself. She grabbed his ankles in an attempt to get the upper hand but he kicked her in the face, causing her to stagger backward.

This, however, gave the driver an opportunity to make his move; this time he managed to connect a fist firmly and solidly with his forehead. Logan was aware of a CRACK just as the world around him went black.


	7. Chapter 7

Wolverine woke to find himself laying on the floor in the middle of a room. He groaned, feeling a sharp pain in his head. Clenching his teeth he tried to get up but found he couldn't. Someone had done a good job making sure he couldn't. He growled, looking at the iron shackles binding his ankles together.

"Oh great," he muttered.

A moment later the door opened. Mystique entered the room and scowled down at him. Then her face turned into that of a sneer. "Don't bother to get up," she taunted.

"Like I have an choice in the matter," he pointed out.

"Look," she said, then paused to make certain the door was closed. Then she knelt down near him-though not too close. "If you're willing to listen... we might be able to work together and we can both get what we want."

"Is that what you tell all your prisoners?" he demanded. 'Or just those who can't fight back? Like I'd ever work together with the likes of you, especially after all you've put me and my comrades through."

"But in this case," she persisted, "I believe we both want the same thing. You want to stop Dr. Zane and his operation, yes?"

He didn't reply.

Her serious expression darkened into a scowl. "Let's say that it is, for the sake of discussion," she went on. "I think you want the girl, and you want to stop Zane from making others. I am going to tell you about his plan. Are you interested?"

"Depends."

Mystique glanced over her shoulder toward the door, then she knelt lower on the floor and leaned in closer, whispering near his ear. "Zane plans to put some finishing the touches on the girl and then pit the two of you against each other, to find out how well she can stand up to a mutant, particularlly while under his control."

He growled. Of course. Why not? He'd made himself easy prey from the start. He should have known better.

"I just want Zane," she went on. "I don't want to see him succeed in this plot against mutants. Help me take him down, and I'll see to it that you and the girl get out of here alive."

"Why are you so intent on taking this man out?" he asked. 'and don't give me that 'I don't want him harming mutants" crap. You have another reason as well."

She scowled sat up straight. "I don't see how it's any of your business," she finally said, apparently realizing that he wasn't going to buy any lies from her.

"You're right, it's not my business,' he said. "But I know you, Mystique. You always do things with more than one purpose in mind."

"Fair enough," she finally said. "Here's the deal. You go along with things and just keep the girl occupied. I'll handle the rest." She looked at him intently. "Do we have a deal?"

He frowned at her. Did she really expect him to agree? Did she think he was that stupid? But maybe... maybe he'd play along with ehr little game. If she pulled a double cross he could always cut off her head and not feel guilty about it. "Fine."

She nodded, her mouth set into a thin, grim line. "As long as I can stop Zane," she growled, "I don't care what you or the girl do after all this is over." Her tone was bitter, and it practically dripped with venom when she said Zane's name, making it obvious that she had some kind of beef with the doctor.

Curious. If he'd been Xavier he might have wanted to learn more about that but he wasn't so he didn't care. 'Spare me the rants, I'm not interesting.'

"Just be ready," she retorted and then stood to her full height. "They'll be finished with the girl soon." She turned on her heel and moved toward the door.

He nearly made a snide comment but held his tongue and merely grunted in response.

Roughly two hours later, two armed guards came into the room and gave Logan a powerful jolt from an electrical stunner, just enough to leave him immobile for a couple of minutes. It was enough time for them to release the shackles that restrained him to the floor and move him to another room... one that was much larger.

By the time he recovered, he was alone in the room and locked inside. The guards had left, making sure the room was sealed. As he examined his surroundings, he noticed that the room looked oddly like an arena. Though considering what Mystique had said, it made perfect sense.

When he glanced upward, he could see a large window located high above his head... through which a man he'd never seen before looked down at him.

This person spoke into a device, and his voice emitted from a speaker somewhere in the ceiling above Logan's head. "So the infamous 'Wolverine' is awake," he said. "A perfect specimin; let's see how well you can stand up against my new weapon prototype."

He sneered, then he appeared to press a switch on a panel near him. After that a small door on the other side of the room slid open, revealing Jill. She stepped into the arena circle and the door shut behind her. Her face was completely expressionless and she looked rigid, almost lifeless.

Logan stared at her. "Jill?" he glared up at Zane. "What did you do to her?"

Zane sneered. "I just took away her free will," he said. "She obeys MY commands now."

Jill's eyes looked directly at Wolverine. For a brief instant her expression alterted, but then it went blank again. Or had it been his imagination?

"Jill, attack him, and kill him!" Zane barked his order over the speaker.

Jill instantly went into a battle stance, her movements fluid and yet robotic. However there was a brief flicker in her eyes... and she seemed to hesitate as she looked at Logan intently.

He faced ehr directly, looking her in the eyes. maybe he could reason with her?

"I said attack him!" Zane snapped impatiently, then his voice could be heard mumbling, as though he was wondering about a possible glitch.

That seemed to do the trick; she matter-of-factly lunged forward and took a fierce swing at him with her robotic arm, which Wolverine reflexively dodged.

"Listen to me, kid," he said, moving out of reach. 'You don't have to do this."

She didn't seem to hear him; she merely swung at him with another attack, moving with even more speed and agility. He didn't like the idea of hurting her, but he quickly realized he might have to subdue her, at the very least, if she kept it up.

Zane quickly checked over the readouts on Jill's implants, a singular datastream that poured over a small screen. He kept one eye on the fight down below and the other eye on the information. Everything seemed to be in order, so... why had she hesitated?

"Hello... Frank."

Zane whirled in response to hearing his first name being spoken by a voice he'd hoped to never hear again. "Ah... so you are here," he said. "I thought my agent was kidding when he said you were here. I should have known better."

Mystique stepped into the room and shrugged. "Well, I am here. And I'm going to put a stop to this."

"But why?" Zane asked. "Think of the potential! This technology can do wonders, and you could even use it against your own enemies."

Mystique's lips parted to bare her teeth in a vicious scowl. "I know very well that you intended to use this prototype of yours to hunt me down once it was perfected," she snapped. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you would have lured me here to be the first test subject if he hadn't come along first." She inclined her head in the direction of Wolverine in the arena.

"Actually," Zane admitted, "I was planning to have her track you down and kill you on her own, once I was finished with her. It would test her hunting abilities and her fighting abilities, killing two birds with one stone."

Mystique narrowed her eyes. "I recognized her when I saw her in the alley, because I hacked into one of your computer terminals," she said. "She followed me willingly, even though I was disguised."

"And you used her to get here," Zane interjected.

"Yes, I did. But how did she recognize me, and why didn't she attack me then? Why would she simply go with me?"

"She wasn't fully ready yet," Zane told her. "The implants were able to take over while she was asleep, but not all of their functions were online yet. I installed a scanning device in her that could detect your bio-signature no matter what form you took on. And I figured that if you found her, it would lead both of you to me. Which was fine by me, because I would have her back and I could get rid of you."

"You will not get rid of me that easily!" Mystique spat. "I'm here to put an end to you and your operation."

"No you won't," Zane said. "You may be a mutant, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"There is nowhere you can go," she said.

A devilish smirk crossed his features. "Want to bet?" He then darted over to something that looked like a glass cylinder in the corner of the room. Once inside, the floor opened and he vanished down through a long slide, obviously having planned his escape in advance.

Mystique growled in frustration, and then took off after him.

The fight in the arena was fierce, and Wolverine had been forced to make some rather aggressive moves out of self-defense. She'd actually managed to connect a solid kick to his hip that sent him staggering and may have fractured something, and she'd warped one of his claws. In turn, he was pretty certain that he'd broken her arm-the human arm, the only limb she had left that was still flesh and bone-and yet she ignored it and kept on going.

However, just as it looked as though she was about to make another attack... she hesitated again. Then her lips parted and she made a noise that sounded somewhere between a rasp and a groan; the first human-like sound she'd made since she'd entered the arena. Then she scrunched her eyes shut briefly.

Logan didn't relax his defenses. This could be a trick. 'Kid?" he said, hoping for a responce.

"Ehn..." Her eyes flickered, then turned robotic again. She feigned to the left, obviously preparing for another attack. She even seemed fully prepared to execute it, and yet she stopped at the last moment. Then her eyes flew wide and, after looking around at her surroundings, she buried her face against her robotic hand and turned away. Her broken, human arm hung limply at her side.

"Jill?" he asked, moving toward her cautiously. "Can you hear me?"

She lowered her hand away from her face and glanced in his direction. She took about three steps away from him, then crouched near the floor. However, there was nothing defensive or menancing about the way she moved now; she just seemed... uncertain, confused.

"Jill?" he continued to move toward her. "It's me. Logan."

"I..." Her eyes squeezed shut and she swallowed. "I remember this time," she murmured. "But I couldn't stop it or control myself... not until a minute ago. I don't even know why!" She looked deeply disturbed, haunted, and frightened.

Logan didn't know what to tell her. He didn't have a clue how she was able to break control. Unless... he looked up at Zane.

Jill glanced upward too... and noticed the same thing he did, that Zane was no longer up there. She then looked back at Logan. "S-stay away from me," she snapped. There was a definite tremor in her voice. "Just... stay away from me."

"Easy, kid," he said, trying to sooth her without getting too close. "Just calm down. I'm not going to hurt you."

"No, but what if I end up trying to hurt you again?" she pointed out.

He didn't know what to tell her.

She moved several steps away, and then kept moving away until she was on the opposite side of the room from him. She looked so uncertain, terrified... and somehow vulnerable and fragile now. Her eyes darted every which way for a moment, and she sat rigidly on the floor. There was nothing robotic about her stiff stance now; it was more like she was just afraid of her own body.

Logan sheathed his claws and walked slowly toward her. he didn't say a word. What could he say?

"Just... stay away." Her voice faltered and no longer held as much conviction. She wasn't really looking at him anymore.

"Fine," he said. "I'll stay right where I am."

Several long minutes went by, during which time neither of them moved.

Then, suddenly, in a very abrupt movement, Jill was up on her feet and moving very quickly. He tensed but then saw it was not an attack; at least not directed at him. She simply went right past him like a streak, attacking the door that she had come in through. With a couple of solid kicks from one of her legs, she impacted the door with her superhuman strength and forced it open. Then she bolted out the door and vanished from sight, making her escape.

Logan stared after her a moment then rushed after her. He couldn't let her get away. She could hurt herself.

Mystique followed Zane through his secret getaway and into the lower regions of the hideout. This building was located out in the middle of the woods, and it could only be reached by helicoptor-at least, that was the easiest way to reach it. So she determined that he'd probably built this place to his specifications.

She found herself having to pause more than once to try and determine which he had gone. She was fairly confident about one thing, though; the girl had probably stopped attacking Wolverine, or would stop soon if she hadn't. She permitted herself a small, smug smile as she thought about what she'd done. She had disabled the lab medic who was supposed to perform the final procedure and taken his place.

While she was in that individual's shoes, literally, she had done exactly what the procedure didn't call for. The lab medic was supposed to finish setting some peremeters for the brain implants, essencially activating a few final neural links. This would have allowed Zane himself to input a few final activation nodes, giving him full control over the girl. Instead, Mysique had merely disabled several of the neural connections and made certain they could never be activated, and then she'd given Jill a mild paralysis drug. This meant that the implants did take over briefly, and they gave the illusion that Zane was in control, but the robotic systems had, in reality, only taken control while Jill's body remained imobile.

Once the paralyzing agent and the sedative finished wearing off, Jill would regain full control of her mind and body... and presumeably, she wouldn't have as much trouble with the implants taking over any longer... except perhaps for a few side-effects. She might still sleepwalk from time to time, for all that Mystique knew, but hopefully she wouldn't get the urge to go back to Zane anymore.

"Where are you," Mystique hissed, looking this way and that as she headed down a long, dark hallway. "I know you're here somewhere." This reminded her a little of when she and Frank had been children, playing hide and seek in a large, abandoned warehouse. Of course, she often won when she was hiding because she could become anything... and that also seemed to be when he had begun to hate her. It sparked from believing she was a freak, and because he had always been jealous. It probably fueled his anger toward mutants in general.

It just made her glad that she and Frank had different mothers. Their father had been a mutant, and her mother had been a mutant, but Frank's mother had not. Apparently this allowed the mutant X gene to skip over him.

"I'm going to find you," she growled as she pressed onward.

Jill was tired of running. She had run blindly throughout the building until she'd finally found the way outside. Then she had continued to run as fast as her legs could carry her, never feeling tired and never breaking into a sweat. Her lungs expanded and shrunk within her chest evenly, as though she were merely walking instead of running. The only thing that seemed to protest was her injured arm.

Finally she simply stopped and allowed herself to plot down beside an enormous tree, panting. She wasn't breathless due to all the running but because she had been crying a little. The tears dampened her cheeks even as she plopped down and she didn't even try to suppress them. She simply sat there and cradled her injured arm gently.

Logan found her easily, by tracking her sent. When he spotted her he slowed down his pace and walked over to the tree.

She looked at him.

"I'm sorry," he said to her.

She leaned back against the tree trunk and closed her eyes. "Is it over? Or will it ever be over?"

"I don't know."

"Why are you here, anyway?" she asked him. "Did you know all of this would happen?"

He sighed. "To be honest this was planned, sort of."

Her eyes went wide, then narrowed. "Planned? You planned this and you didn't even tell me about it before it happened?"

"I'm sorry," he said. "Professor X didn't know if telling you was a good idea. he wasn't sure f you'd go along with it."

"You still should have told me!" Now she got to her feet, wincing a little due to the soreness of her hurt arm. "I deserved to know!"

"I'm sorry."

She was angry and felt betrayed; he could understand that. Though what she said next took him a little off-guard; "You guys didn't trust me, and you kept stuff from me... you're no better than the people who did this to me in the first place!" She turned and began to stomp off.

"Wait!" he sighed. Great. Just great. "Nice going, Professor." he moved to follow her. Maybe they should have done things his way instead.

She moved efficiently through the forest, her movements graceful and almost feline; she only stumbled a few times but kept on going. When she entered a small clearing, she glanced over her shoulder. He wasn't sure if she'd noticed him following her before, or if she had simply ignored him up until now. But now, she scowled at him.

"What?" she growled. "Want to see where the litlte human-robot is going?"

So she had known he was following her all along. "No, that's not it at all."

"Then what?"

"Do you know wheer you're going?" he asked.

"Away from here... and away from you!" She took a couple of steps away. "Stop following me."

Now didn't that sound familiar? X23 had once told him the exact same thing. "I... I'm sorry but I can't do that."

She stopped walking, pausing by a nearby stream that flowed through the center of the clearing. "Why not?" she asked, and then stooped down to get a drink from the stream and splash some cold water in her face.

he sighed. What could he tell her? he didn't even know himself.

She splashed a little more water in her face and used her good arm-her robotic one-to wipe off the excess water. Then she looked down at her injured arm, examining it more closely. She vaguely recalled how she'd gotten hurt during the fight, though she wasn't sure how bad it was. There were definitely deep marks etched in her flesh, where his claws had obviously gotten her. Then again, she couldn't exactly blame him for that; it had just been self-defense. It had bled out a bit, and her arm was stained crimson red because of it.

She decided the best thing to do was clean it out a little, while she was at a stream. She leaned forward and dunked it into the water, attempting to clean off the dried and crusted blood and clean out the wound. It was the only "real" limb she had left, after all, so she might as well take care of it.

Logan rested against a tree, his arms folded, watching her.

After several minutes she finished up. The wound looked... better than it did, at least. And thankfully it wasn't broken, it was just a deep cut. She'd probably need stiches when she got back to...

Okay, got where, exactly? In truth she had no idea where she was going. She was just walking and running... with nothing better in mind than trying to run away from herself.

She cast a glance at Logan. She still felt angry at him and angry at the others for allowing this and for not telling her about it. But... what exactly she was she going to do now? She didn't even know where they were.

Frowning, she decided that was as good a place as any to start. "Um... any idea where we are?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No."

"Wonderful." She took one final look at her arm, then hopped over the stream to the other side. "I guess I'll just roam around until I get... somewhere, then."

"By yourself?" he asked. "For all you know more of that man's thugs are in this forest, looking for you right ast this very moment."

A dark shadow seemed to fall across her features as she considered her options. Then a slow scowl darkened her eyes. "There's only one way to take care of this mess once and for all," she growled, turning around. She hopped back across the stream and then started to move past him, facing the direction they'd just come from.

"Where are you going?" he demanded, grabbing her arm.

She tensed at his touch and glared at him. "Back," she snapped simply, and yanked her arm in an attempt to pull free of his grasp.

He stared at her. He couldn't blame her for reacting that way.

She sighed. "Look," she said, "one way or another, I'm gonna make sure this ends now. Either come along or stay here, but just stay out of my way." She squared her shoulders and began to march off through the woods again, this time heading back toward the secret base.

logan paused a moment then followed her.


	8. Chapter 8

Jill and Logan proceeded through the forest until they reached the secret hideout. Only when they got there, they noticed something just as they approached. Just as Jill began to jog up toward the front entrance, something came rushing out.

It was none other than Dr. Zane, with what appeared to be an enormous cat on his heel, with the intent of attacking him. Jill was so startled by Zane's sudden appearance that he went right past her before she could react; but Wolverine had more of a chance to see, and to react.

"Sabertooth," he growled, rushing toward it.

Only a split-second later, he realized it wasn't Sabertooth; it was Mystique disguised as Sabertooth. He realized this when he caught her scent, and especially when she changed into the form of a large snake and began to encircle Zane, curling around his legs and then looping herself around his thighs, and then his waist, and continuing upward...

"No!" Zane shouted at the top of his lungs as she proceeded up his body, toward his throat...

Jill stood by, watching in a fascinated horror for a long moment. Then suddenly, before even she realized what she was doing, she suddenly lashed out and grabbed Zane by the throat, with her robotic hand. Her thin yet powerful fingers dug lightly into his windpipe, causing him to choke and splutter a little.

"P-please," he managed to wheeze, barely.

Jill's eyes darkened, yet she hesitated. What was she doing? Was she truly going to do anything?

The snake form of Mystique hesitated as well. She now had Zane restrained, with the coils of her body wrapped securely around his ankles, legs, hips, arms and chest... with her coils ending at his shoulders. His throat and head remained free of her coils, and Jill held him by the throat. Mystique's snake head rose to look into Jill's eyes, and her tongue flicked in and out. Then her snake eyes almost seemed to say, "Do it."

Jill hesitated, then looked into Zane's face. His eyes were wide and fearful, completely at her mercy now. Did she really want to kill him?

"Jill no!" he grabbed her from behind, trying to pull her away.

Jill tensed at his touch, then resisted his grasp as best she could. "You know what he did to me!" she exclaimed. "And he wants to do it to others!"

Mystique then loosened herself enough to take on her normal form. Then she said, "He's wanted to hurt me for a long time, and he wanted to hurt you and others like you," she snapped at Jill. "I say we make him suffer," she tempted.

Logan glared at Mystique. He should have known. Of course she'd try something like this. He growled at her. 'Get out of here."

"No!" she snapped, then turned her full attention on Jill. "Are you going to listen to him, and let him deny you your revenge?" she asked her. "If you do nothing, this man-" she pointed at Zane, "-will just leave here and start this up again somewhere else."

Jill head released her hold on Zane, mostly because Wolverine had succeeded in pulling her away. Now the man lay on the ground, coughing and choking from where she'd been holding him at her mercy mere moments ago. Jill stared at him for a moment, then scowled.

"Because of you," she hissed, "I can never go back to my family or do anything like a normal person would! I'm a freaky robot monster because of you!"

"Yes!" Mystique encouraged. "He did this to you! Don't let him get away with it!"

"if you kill him you are no better than he is."

That seemed to make Jill hesitate for a moment. "Just this once," she finally growled. "If I do it just this once... it will be helping others, because he won't be able to do this again."

"I won't do anything again! I swear!" Zane choked. "Just let me go, please!"

"You should kill him," Mystique said. "Think about it; you might be in control now, but there is one thing that stands between you and your freedom from this man. The implants in your mind are tied to his life, and they are designed to make you enslaved to him until he dies. Because the master control chip is located inside HIS brain; that is what he really plans to use to keep you under his control." Her eyes narrowed into slits and she smiled evilly. "It needs to be removed... and then crushed. It's the only way you'll be free."

Jill gaped.

Logan growled at her. 'If that's true then I know a much gentler way to do it."

"How?" Jill asked incredulously.

"Never mind that," Mystique snarled. "Let's just kill him and get it over with!" She obviously just wanted the man dead; she didn't care about anything else.

"The Professor can do it," he said, though he honestly didn't know if that was true. he just didn't want Jill to become a murderer.

"No!" Mystique hissed. "Jill, if you don't do it, then I will."

"You do it and your head won't be attached to your neck anymore."

Mystique hissed, then looked at Jill. Logan had a hunch that she was trying to twist the girl to her will, to make Jill do as she pleased, possibly even make her into a new minion.

"I... I don't know," Jill said, shaking her head furiously. She looked confused and conflicted. Then she glanced at the building beyond. "What about that place?" she asked, as though stalling for a little time.

"Oh I took care of that already," Mystique said smugly.

As if on cue, it exploded.

Jill nearly jumped out of her skin. Zane gaped in horror, then in the next instant he was on his feet and tried to make a run for it.

Mystique lunged for him and tackled him to the ground. The two of them then proceeded to wrestle each other; Zane grabbed her hair and yanked. She yelled indignantly and cuffed him.

Jill looked from them to Wolverine, then back at the wrestling pair. What was she going to do?

Logan seemed to take that into his own hands. he sighed, walked over, and oh so gently pride the two apart, holding them away from each other. Though it was a bit hard since they were both taller than him.

Jill stared at them for a long moment, then slowly began to walk forward. Her expression was blank, almost as void as it had been while the implants were in control of her.

Then in a sudden flash of movement, as though she were acting on impulse, she let out a yell and attacked Zane. Her fingers dove through his hair and scalp and then through his skull, then plunged into his head as though she were merely sticking her fingers through a hard boiled egg.

Logan stared at her in shock. "Jill!" what was she thinking?!

Her hand then wrenched out of his skull. Her human-like, robotic skin was now covered with blood, and her skinny fingers held a small chunk of... what had to be Zane's brain, with a metallic chip attached to it.

Her eyelids flickered. For a long moment she simply stared at it, and the blood, as though wondering what exactly she had done. Then she let out another yell and threw it on the ground, then stamped on it with her heel. It sparked, then it was completely destroyed.

She was free.

But... at what cost?

She found herself looking at Zane... and instantly regretted it. His head was a completely broken and bloody mess and his eyes were wide and lifeless, with blood dribbling out of his nose...

Mystique let out a cruel, harsh laugh. "Well done," she trumped. Wolverine had released Zane's now limp form and had also released the blue-skinned woman in shock.

Jill's breathing quickened, realizing what had happened.

She turned and began to run.

"Jill wait!" he called after her. He glared over at Mystique. "I hope you're happy," he growled.

She folded her arms. "Not entirely," she retorted. "But I gave up on my brother long ago." She blinked, quickly realizing she had revealed more than she'd meant to. But what did it matter anymore? He was dead. Who cared if the secret got out?

"Your brother?" he demanded, grabbing her by her front. "I should have known."

Mystique glowered at him. "He's gone, and he won't be a bother anymore," she stated, then attempted to knock his hand away. "That's all you need to know about it."

"That's all you think I need to know about it," he growled. "No thanks to you and your little secrets you just turned an innocent girl into a murderer." he glared at her. "Just because you couldn't do the deed yourself."

"She was designed to be a weapon, and now she's fulfilled her purpose," Mystique retorted. "And now, she may help fulfill other uses."

He grabbed her by her collar. "She's a human being!" he snapped. "Not a weapon! I don't care what you or your brother call her!"

She sneered. "Whatever she is now, she is no longer a mere human. She's become something else, something much more."

He had another word for it but he refused to say it around her. instead he merely shoved her over and ran off to follow Jill.

Mystique fell hard on the ground, then turned to glare at him. However, the only thing she saw was his retreating back. She shoved herself up off the ground and brushed herself off.

Well, for now she would just get the heck out of there. She'd done what needed to be done; anything else could wait for later.

Jill had gone a considerable distance, all things considered. When finally stopped running, she simply plopped herself down on a fallen tree and proceeded to sit there, thinking.

Her thoughts swirled around inside her brain like a swarm of angry bees. She thought about what she'd done, what Wolverine and Mystique had said, and everything that had happened to her over the past few days.

Was she a murderer now? Or had she done something good in a way? Surely Zane would have only tried this again on someone else if she had let him go. He didn't deserve to live anyway... did he?

You still took a life, part of her mind argued. She felt her stomach twist itself into a knot when she thought about that.

Her thoughts continued to race in her mind as she continued to sit there. After a long few moments, her robotic ear could hear footsteps approaching even when they were still a mile away, and they drew steadily closer. She knew who was coming, at least she had a pretty good guess. Somehow or other, he seemed quite good at tracking people down when he wanted to find them.

She sat completely still and stared at her hand, the one that was tainted with Zane's blood. It marked her skin, and she knew that that man's blood was now on her hands, metaphorically and literally.

Finally she heard his footsteps drawing closer; he was only a few meters away from her now. She didn't look up; she pretended that he was not there and she did not acknowledge his presence.

Logan paused a short distance away from her. He sniffed the air and turned his head, looking right at her.

She remained exactly where she was, staring down at the ground just in front of her shoes. No... actually she was looking at her hands, particularly the blood-stained one. Her face somehow looked drained of emotion and yet haunted at the same time.

Logan walked over to her, carefully. he didn't want to spook her. 'hey.." he began. Then his mind went blank. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to her.

Her eyes twitched and then blinked as she glanced in his direction without turning her head. Then she lowered her blood-stained hand and began to wipe it off on a nearby plant. She seemed to be ignoring him mostly.

Finally she rose and moved a short distance away, to a muddy puddle located in a small area where a swamp, or possibly just a larger puddle, had apparently dried up recently. She looked at it for a moment and then put her hand into it, apparently willing to put up with the dirty water if it meant getting the blood off.

As she proceeded to wash her hand off, ignoring the wound on her human arm, she growled under her breath, "What do you want, Wolverine? This mess is over... just go home or whatever."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, kid," he said. "Not without bringing you with me. You're my responsibility whether you like it or not."

Now she turned to look at him, yanking her arm out of the puddle so quickly that some of the water splashed onto her clothes. She ignored it. "I am no one's responsibility," she snapped. "I'm not your pet robot or whatever. And nobody has control over me anymore. So just go away!" She turned on her heel and began to walk quickly in a random direction she'd chosen.

Logan followed her. 'Listen, Kid," he said. "I don't think of you like that and you know it. Now just come back to the Institute with me-"

She whirled around and snapped, "No! I am not going anywhere with you." Her eyes flashed, even her robotic one, as though they had become dark brown fire. "It's going to be like this for the rest of my life! Nobody trusts me, and they just want to use me-or they don't think I should go off by myself. I'm not going to trust anyone anymore!"

"I don't want to use you," he said. "I of all people know what you're going through..."

"Then you should have told me about all of this!" she yelled. "You could have come to me and told me that these stupid implants were going to take over completely, and that you guys had a plan. But no, you just left me in the dark and hoped for the best!" She scowled, then grated through clenched teeth, "You people were no better than Zane or that blue woman. And now I can't even go back to my family; they're going to be scared of me or think I'm a freak!"

He didn't respond. What could he say. Looks like the professor made a mistake not cluing her in, he thought.

"You say you know what it's like," she went on, "but you don't. Just... just get out of here." She turned away again and began to stomp off.

He followed and grabbed her arm. "Yes, I do," he said again. "I know more than anyone else."

She scowled at him, then made an attempt to rip her arm out of his grasp-only her foot ended up slipping on a slippery patch on the ground, and she ended up falling down on one knee instead. She muttered under her breath, embarrassed. "Even if you do," she growled as she got back to her feet, "you can't help me now." There was a bitter note in her tone.

"I used to think the same thing..."

She blinked. "Until what?" she demanded skeptically.

He sighed. "Do you have time for a story?"

She was silent for a long moment, raising an eyebrow almost comically. "Fine," she finally said with a shrug.

he sighed. 'It's like this..."

"Easy, now."

Scott almost opened his eyes, but quickly remembered himself. He didn't dare make any moves until he felt the familiar sensation of glasses being slid over his eyes. Only then did he allow his eyelids to flutter open, and he looked up to see Hank McCoy standing over him.

"Thanks," Scott murmured.

"Anytime," Hank said.

It took Scott only a few seconds to remember what happened, then he groaned. "So... how long was I out?" he asked.

"Several hours," Beast replied. "We've fixed everything that was broken, but you'll need to lie there in bed for at least a couple of weeks."

"Ugh, wonderful," Scott said. It felt as though he had been thrown through a wall.

Then again... that was close to what had happened.

"So... how's the plan going?" he asked after a moment.

"No word from Logan yet," Hank replied. "I'm not sure, but I think that Xavier might send a group out to look for him if we don't hear anything soon. He's trying to locate Logan through Cerebro right now."

"Ah, okay," Scott said, then allowed his head to rest against the pillow.

"Get some rest," Hank said gently. "I'll be back in a while." He then turned and left the medical bay.

Jill listened silently as Logan told her everything, from when he was experimented on to when he escaped, and how he'd coped for all this time with the help of friends... especially Xavier, in the most recent few decades.

When he finally finished, she looked thoughtful for a long moment. Then she said, "Yeah well... nice to know you came out okay, I guess. I still don't know about me."

"Give it some time," he told her. 'It's not like I let this happened over night. It took me a long time to learn to trust people."

"So you're saying you trust people?" Her voice now dripped with skepticism again. "And what, you're telling me that you trust me?"

"I thought I did." he stood up. "But your actions make it hard for me to be sure. You just killed a man without justification."

"Then maybe that's just how it is." She turned away, folding her arms across her chest. "Maybe I'm just going to do whatever feels right to me. And nobody has to like it or approve of it." She looked at him again, her eyes tightening. "If there's anything I've realized after all of this... it's that everybody wants something, and they'll just use you or keep things from you whenever it suits you... or whenever they decide it's for the best."

He sighed. "Not everyone is like that."

"I don't want to hear anymore," she stated. "Just shut up and leave, now." She stared at him, hard.

He stared back, frowning. She was so stubborn!

"Or just stand there," she finally shrugged with a growl. "But DON'T follow me." With that she turned and began to head off through the trees, her medium-length brown hair catching bits of greenery as she passed through a few smaller, close-knit trees.

He sighed. "Charles isn't going to like this."


	9. Chapter 9

Charles Xavier glanced up as Brooke-who'd recently donned the nickname "Aqua"-entered his office. It was 4:00 in the afternoon on a typical sunny Monday. Most of the students who attended the public school were already back at the Institute or attending some of their other activities.

He knew that Brooke was back, so he waited until she'd had a chance to get settled in after school, then he'd used his telepathy to request her presence in his office. He wanted to talk to her.

"You wanted to see me, Prof?" she asked. She had no idea what this was about so she'd just let him do the explaining. After all, if she was in trouble he could have told her to come back right away. So maybe she wasn't in trouble. But then what did he want? Surely he wasn't going to give her glowing praise.

"Yes," the professor answered mildly. "Thank you for coming. And now, I would like to talk to you about how you're doing." His eyes looked at her intently. "Are you happy here?" he asked. Something about his tone suggested that he was using that question as a method to gauge her feelings.

"Happy here?" she asked. 'How can a girl be happy in a place where she is basically treated like a lab rat and then gets made fun of for her feelings toward someone? Do you really think anyone would be "happy" under those circumstances?"

Xavier sighed inwardly; he'd been expecting this. And he'd heard about the way Kitty had teased her the other day. In some ways, Charles felt that Brooke was being oversensitive and resentful, but at the same time he understood that she was just being a teenager, and that this was still a lot to take in. Besides, one could not expect her to excel so quickly or to adjust in the blink of an eye; she had been through a lot in such a short period of time.

"Brooke, I want you to know that I'm here for you, just like I'm here for everyone else," he told her. "If there is anything I can do, or if there are any concerns you'd like to discuss, that's what I am here for."

"You could tell the cat girl to stay out of my business," she told him, folding her arms. "It wasn't nice of her to make fun of me like that."

"Well," the professor said, "I could have a talk with her, but at the same time I don't know how much good that will do you."

"It would be good if she didn't bother me about it," she said. "It's not like she hasn't had a crush before."

"What I mean is that I am here to help, but I can't do everything for you," he clarified. "Everyone here must try their best to get along, because we are part of the same team... the same family, in a manner of speaking. And it wouldn't be right if I tried to step in and handle all of your conflicts for you, would it?"

"No, I guess not." she sighed. "but my only problem is her. She keeps bothering me and her valley girl speak is getting on my nerves."

"Then perhaps you should find a way to tell her that, in a way that is calm and kind," Xavier suggested. He felt that if Brooke was going to learn to find her place and fit in, she needed to begin by reaching out to others and learning to accept where she was at. "Perhaps you could even try being friends with her."

"How can I be friends with someone who's head seems to be full of helium?" she asked. "she's the only person here I am having issues with. The goblin doesn't even bother me anymore."

Xavier frowned slightly, yet had to suppress a small chuckle in spite of himself. He knew exactly who she was referring to in both cases. "The trick is to try and find some common interests with some of the others," he said. "Or if nothing else, learn to ignore some of the things they say. Although I know that that is easier said than done."

"I guess you're right," she said.

"There is something else I wanted to discuss," he then said. "I heard from one of your teachers at the public school this morning. She said that there are times when you don't seem to pay attention in class, or that you are... as she put it, sassing some of the other students." He raised an eyebrow at her. "I just wanted to hear what you have to say before I say anything."

Brooke folded her arms. "Well that's a big fat lie," she stated. "I can't help it that the teachers don't seem to like me." she played with her hair. "Nor do I have any control over what color my hair is. Some girl was saying I wasn't really black because I got blue hair and green eyes. Don't you think that sounds stupid?"

"Unfortunately it's what people your age do sometimes," he told her. Then as an afterthought he added, "Then again, people my age will also do it. Brooke, let me just ask you this. Would you prefer to live under your bed for the rest of your life, hidden away from life's challenges and the way people treat you, or would you rather learn to face them?"

"You make it sound like I was home schooled or something," she said.

Xavier allowed himself to chuckle a little now. "I didn't mean for it to sound that way," he said. "I merely meant that you need to learn to deal with things as they come."

She shook her head. "It's not like I don't deal with anything," she told him. 'I know how to." she made a face. 'I bet they forgot to mention that one of the jocks thought it would be funny to pour an entire cooler of water on my head during someone found out what my powers were and wanted to introduce me to my "cousins"."

Xavier sighed. "Have you been eating lunch with some of the others from the Institute?" he asked with the mannerism of a concerned father. He knew that at times, his students stuck together at the public school and stood up for each other without even resorting to the use of their powers.

"No." she said. 'I've been sitting with some girl named Tammy and I didn't tell her I was a mutant either."

The professor was silent for a moment, considering his next words carefully. He didn't want to come down on her too much, too soon. And he knew better than anyone that some things couldn't be helped or fixed with just a few words, at least not quickly. There were just some things that Brooke would have to learn how to cope with or deal with on her own, in her own good time. He hoped that she would become friends with some of the people in the Institute, but again, he couldn't force it to happen; some things had to happen on their own. Brooke simply wasn't ready for some things yet.

So he decided to drop the subject for now. "There is one other thing I wanted to talk to you about," he said instead.

What would that be?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Was he going to kick her out?

"It's about Jill," Xavier said. "During one of the brief talks I had with her, she said that you and her were friends. Is that true?"

"Yeah why?" she frowned. "Are you going to yell at me for being friends with her because she's not a mutant?"

"No, just the opposite," Xavier assured her calmly. "Actually, I was wondering if you've heard the news."

"What news?"

"Jill is gone."

She stared at him with wide eyes. "What?!"

"I just finished having a long talk with Logan this morning. Apparently she's decided to run away."

"Why would she do that?!"

"Let's just say she had a serious confrontation with the man responsible for... changing her," Xavier told her. "And according to Logan, she then decided that the best way to cope with her situation is to run away and not trust anyone."

"Well that's stupid," she stated.

"I was curious if you have any idea where she might have gone. Out of everyone, the only ones she opened up to were you and Logan, and she completely brushed off Logan."

She shook her head. 'I have no idea," she said. "she didn't tell me much about herself anyway.."

"I see." Xavier sighed. "Well, the only thing we can hope is that she'll decide to come back."

She shrugged. 'maybe she went back to her apartment."

"Logan already checked there this morning. It was burned to the ground; there is nothing left. I believe he's gone out to her parents' house now to see if they might know anything."

"maybe they know something but they probably won't tell him."

"We'll see," was all that Xavier said on the subject. Then he said, "Well, we'll just have to hope for the best. In the meantime, well... how much homework do you have tonight?"

"Some math and history, why?" she got a suspicion that he had something in mind.

"Tonight, after you have finished your homework and after you have eaten dinner, I'd like you to come back here to my office."

"What for?" she asked. "haven't you reamed me out enough already?"

"For the next few days, you and I are going to work on helping you learn to control your powers," he said. "That means you won't be attending the regular classes that the other students here are attending, at least until you've learned the basics."

"what?!" She stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. 'they're fine! I don't want special treatment like some special Ed kid. You act as if I'm some kind of retard in this area."

"You're not being singled out," Xavier assured her. "I've done this with anyone who's had difficulty learning to control their powers. I did it with Jean when she first came here, and I still have some sessions with her in the morning to help her control her telepathy. I also helped Kitty for a few days until she was confident in her abilities. So this is nothing that you need to take personally."

She frowned. Oh yes, Jean. The poster child of mutants. Perfect little Jean Grey. Of course she didn't say that to him. Instead all she said was. 'Fine."

He nodded. "That's all," he told her. "Unless there is anything you'd like to talk about."

"Nope." she shook her head. "Can I go now?'

He nodded again. "Don't forget to meet me here later," he reminded her.

"Yeah, I know," she said, heading toward the door.

* * *

Jill had no idea where she was going. She just felt that she couldn't stay in one place very long, and she couldn't go back to the Institute... or anywhere else.

She stopped briefly at a small rest stop on the outer edge of the rural area and slipped inside. It was when that she realized she had no money, so she simply grabbed a bottle of water and a bag of pretzels and rushed out the door. No one saw her do it, and so no one pursued her. But she felt more than capable of doing something about it if someone had tried to stop her.

As far as she was concerned, people had wronged her. Both humans and mutants. So she had every right to do as she pleased, just to survive and do what she wanted.

What did she want? Well, she was still trying to figure that out. Maybe she was just trying to find her place in life.

She went back into the woods and found a spot to sit down, munching away at her pretzels and sipping on her water. Yeah... being out in the woods wasn't exactly the best place to live one's life, she decided. Especially with no roof over her head. What was going to happen the next time it rained?

From the trees a figured watched her silently. What was this girl doing out in the middle of the woods by herself?

Jill, completely unaware that she was being observed, polished off the rest of her snack and discarded the plastic bag, then sipped on her water bottle. Once she emptied it, she threw it aside as well as she stood. Only she moved a bit too quickly and ended up brushing the sensitive area on her injured arm against some rough tree bark.

She hissed in pain and it was the final straw that set her off. She finally allowed all of the things she'd kept bottled up inside her loose; as the figure watched, Jill lashed out and attacked the tree with the rough bark, causing it to crack and then snap under her superhuman strength. As a result, the tree-which wasn't too large but was not small either-fell to the ground away from Jill.

The figure watched her do this without much of a reaction. She was so used to people doing such things that this didn't bother her, but she did move closer.

The action had not left Jill overly taxed, but the sudden release of everything she'd been keeping pent up and had been running from was now on the surface, where she could no longer ignore it. She sank down onto her knees and buried her face into her hands, and simply allowed more emotion to break free in the form of heavy breathing and tears.

The figure paused, watching her. Something was wrong. Why was she crying?

When she paused, her footstep crunched some leaves. A normal human wouldn't have heard it, but Jill's enhanced hearing could. Jill raised her head and looked around, trying to see who was there.

"Logan if that's you," she snapped, although her voice trembled, "I said to GO AWAY."

That's when Jill noticed who was there. It was a girl, probably only slightly shorter than herself, dressed in dark clothing and had long, dark brown hair that was slightly tangled, as though she'd been in the forest for a considerable amount of time; or at least hadn't been anywhere near a hairbrush for a while.

Jill's eyes widened and she got to her feet, then narrowed her eyes. "Who the hell are you?"

The girl stepped out, frowning. She was young but her expression made her look much older. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Jill, I'm just... well I'm just wandering around I guess. Now what about you?"

"I don't have a name," she said as if that should be obvious. 'Everyone just calls me X23."

Jill frowned. Something about the girl's stance and the way she talked caused something to stir inside of herself, though she wasn't sure what it was. "I swear you remind me of someone," she said slowly. "Your face... you look almost like..." Jill stopped herself, shaking her head. "No way, couldn't be."

"Wolverine?" she asked as if she'd read her mind.

Jill blinked. "Um... yeah. What, are you his daughter or something?" That would be just her luck, if she happened to stumble across Logan's kid and now would have to put up with her presence.

"His clone."

Now Jill did a complete double take. "Uh... um..." She stammered, then she found her eyes darting toward the girl's hands, looking for claws. Right now, if she had any, they were hidden away inside her hands. "Does he know about you?" she blurted. "Hey... and if you're his clone... why are you a girl?"

X23 decided not to answer either question. Instead shed asked Jill one of her own. "What are you doing out here by yourself? Don't you have a family or something to go to?"

Jill's gaze darkened. This wasn't something she wanted to talk about. And it wasn't this girl's business anyway. And yet... something about her eyes made Jill answer anyway, at least partially. "Not anymore," she said. "I can't go back to them. I can't go back to anyone."

"Why not?" she demanded.

"Because of what I am!" Jill snapped, not wanting to get into this again, especially not with Logan's little clone. "What are you doing out here anyway? Don't you have somewhere to go?"

"I told you I am a clone," she informed her. "I don't even have a family to go home to."

"Oh." Jill looked at her for a long moment. "Well... maybe you're better off anyway. I mean I was living a perfectly normal life until I had this happen to me," she indicated her robotic arm and legs. Even though they looked identical to normal, human ones, she was sure that X23 got the idea that there was something different about her. "Now I can't go back to my family because they will think I'm a freak, and I've realized that everybody just wants to use me or treat me like I'm abnormal."

X23 said nothing.. She just stared at her. 'I don't see anything different."

Something inside Jill caused her to snap again, to react; she didn't react as strongly as before, but she still reacted. Her robotic arm shot out and grabbed X23's arm in a grip of iron. "THIS is what's different! I'm part robot now!" Jill snapped, and tightened her grip until it threatened to crunch the bone beneath X23's flesh.

X23 glared at her. 'Get your hand off me," she growled. Then those claws that had been hidden before revealed themselves; a pair came out of each hand. She slashed at Jill, causing her to released her grip and jump back.

X23 moved again, slashing wildly as Jill moved out of the way again, then she twisted out of the way and aimed a kick toward the other girl's midsection, only to have X23 jump over her foot, then she connected her own foot with Jill's rib cage, sending her flying backward.

Jill was sent sprawling on the ground, feeling as though at least one of her ribs had been cracked, or at least bruised. She didn't even have time to react before X23 was on her again, aiming her claws at her chest-but Jill reacted by grabbing her wrist with her robotic arm, preventing it from reaching its mark.

Then somehow or other, as they continued to grapple and kick or punch each other, they soon found themselves locked together in an odd position that left both of them defenseless and immobile. X23 had superior fighting moves and reflexes, but she didn't count on Jill's strength and ability to hold on tight. So the two of them ended up on the ground, with Jill's legs wrapped around X23's legs holding them immobile. Also, Jill was using her robotic arm to firmly grip one of X23's wrists, using it to press it against X23's other arm against her own chest. That way, X23's arms were forcibly cross-crossed in front of her chest with Jill holding them in place with her grip on one of X23's arms. And Jill used her other arm to hold X23 against her by the waist.

And so, both of them were immobile. X23 was the one being restrained, but Jill could not let go if she didn't wish to be attacked again. Both of the girls struggled and grunted, even growling or yelling something once in a while, but finally they went still. Jill did not loosen her grip.

"Had enough?" Jill hissed into her ear.

"have you?" X23 shot back. The moment Jill's grip relaxed she intended to teach her a lesson.

"Oh I can keep this up all day," Jill retorted. If anything, she tightened her grip a little. "I already know that if I let you go, you're gonna slice me to ribbons. So I'm not gonna do it."

"You'll have to let me go eventually," she pointed out. "Even someone with your.. bionic powers will tire out eventually."

"What about you?" Jill returned. "How long can you last before you pass out from hunger or get tired?"

"Three days."

Jill realized she had absolutely no idea how long she could go. Not that she'd ever had any reason to test herself, either. "Yeah well, let's just see who holds up longer," she snapped.

"Why don't we then?" she challenged.

"Fine." Jill pressed her lips into a thin line and made her grip even more secure.

The seconds ticked by, and the seconds became minutes, and then became an hour. Two hours. Two and a half.

"Ugh," Jill growled, but did not loosen her grip.

"Ready to give up yet?"

"No that's not it," Jill said. Her shoulders twitched in discomfort, but she did nothing to give X23 any sort of advantage. "It's just..." she trailed off. She saw no reason to say it aloud.

"Just what?"

Jill's eyes narrowed. "I have to go to the bathroom."

X23 sighed. A cyborg with no bladder control. What a wonderful combination. "So what are you going to do?" she asked. "Take a wiz in your pants?"

"No... I'll just keep holding it." What else could Jill do for now?

"For how long?" she asked. "Until your bladder explodes?"

Okay, THAT thought did not sound appealing, at all. "Well gee," Jill said in a partially sarcastic tone, "why not? Apparently they were able to replace several other things inside my body. Why not that, too?"

X23 made a face. "Like I want to be here when that happens," she informed her. 'My sense of smell is better than yours."

"If you hadn't attacked me, we wouldn't be in this mess right now," Jill retorted.

"I attacked you?!" X23 demanded. 'You're the one that decided she wanted to have an attitude problem and went after me!"

"Hey, it takes two people to keep a fight going, girl." Jill scowled. "Maybe I should just..." She stopped talking. Whatever threat she had been about to say died on her lips. The images of Zane and what she'd done to him were still vivid in her mind. Did she really want to do that to someone else?

"Like I would just let you attack me," X23 retorted. 'it's called defending myself."

"I wasn't attacking you!" Jill shot back. "I was just trying to show you what was different about me!"

"Sure like attacking to me."

Jill sighed. "Look... I don't think either of us want to stay like this any longer. Will you agree to some sort of... truce or something?"

Right now all she wanted was the get the cramp out of her neck. "Fine."

Jill wanted nothing more than to be able to get up... before she DID wet her pants. "Okay fine," she said. "As soon as I let you go... we just move ten feet away from each other and try to talk like civil people. Do you agree?"

She nodded.

Jill was hesitant at first, easing her grip, then she let go of X23's arms and then uncurled her legs from the other girl's. They both stood up and brushed themselves off, and then Jill began to move away.

"Excuse me," Jill said, "but I was NOT kidding when I said I have to-you know!" With that she ducked down behind a nearby clump of bushes.

X23 made a face and turned away.

A couple of minutes passed. Then there was a little rustling in the bushes, and Jill finally stepped out. She glanced in X23's direction, as though wanting to make sure she knew where the other girl was, possibly even make sure she wasn't going to be attacked. Then Jill began to look every which way, as though trying to find something.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Looking for a stream or something," Jill said, sparing her only a glance. "Come on, it's always best to wash your hands after you go to the bathroom!"

X23 rolled her eyes. "There's one over there."

Jill cocked her head, then focused her sensitive hearing on the sound. Sure enough, she could hear the faint trickling noise of water moving over dirt and rocks. She frowned, realizing that if she paid attention to her surroundings more, she might actually be able to find her own way around.

Then again, she wasn't used to having sensitive hearing, and since a lot of sounds were amplifed now-including her own breathing and heartbeat-it was easier to just want to tune everything out.

"Thanks," Jill muttered, then walked in the direction of the stream.

X23 watched her go. She sighed and shook her head.

The stream was a short distance away, and Jill simply knelt down and plunged her hands into the cold water. She scrubbed them as best she could and then she ran some water over the wound that Wolverine had given her... and then some of the fresh cuts that X23 had given her in the fight.

When she was finished she stood up and looked around. "You still out there?" she asked warily, wanting to know if the other girl was still around.

"Why shouldn't I be?" she demanded.

Jill blinked a little. "I dunno. I just thought you might have wandered off or something." She sighed and slowly sat down on a spot on the ground, trying to make herself look harmless. However, she kept herself on the alert, just in case the other girl did try something. "Okay so... wanna talk or something? I have no wish to fight with you again or anything."

She shrugged. It didn't matter to her. "I'm not staying here very long anyway," she said.

"Neither am I," Jill said, shrugging in return. "So... where are you gonna go after this?"

"I don't know," she said. she stood on a rock and sniffed the air, frowning. 'in fact I have to go now."

Jill looked at her in surprise. "Go? But why?" She wasn't sure why she was suddenly so interested, but at least part of her was.

"I just do." she jumped down and started to walk away.

Jill tensed a little. If this girl-the person who could have sliced Jill herself to ribbons if it hadn't been for Jill's own robotic strength-was suddenly starting to move... it was cause for alarm.

"Hey wait up," Jill said, and found herself following X23. The irony of it all did not escape her. After all, hadn't she told Logan just the other day to stay away from her? And that she wasn't going to trust anyone again? And yet here she was, starting to follow this girl. "What's happening?" she called out as she hurried after X23.

"Something you don't want to get involved in," she retorted. 'why don't you focus on your own problems?"

"Ha! I've already been involved in plenty of crap lately, and my problems are mostly over. What's going on with you?" She continued to follow X23 persistently.

"None of your business."

"Yeah well you already know more about me than I wanted you to know. I think we know plenty about each other now." Okay, so maybe it was a stretch of the truth. But didn't somebody, somewhere, once say that you could discover a lot about a person during a fight? Unless maybe she was just imagining things.

X23 rolled her eyes. 'Whatever," she said. 'But if you're going to follow me keep your mouth shut. you'll give away our position."

Jill simply gave a nod and kept silent, showing that that was fine by her. She still wasn't entirely sure why she was following her. Perhaps it was because she sensed that they had some things in common. Maybe it was possible that this could clue Jill into what her future might be like if she followed a similar path, of always running instead of going back to the Institute... or her family.

They continued on through the forest. Jill kept her sensitive hearing alert, and she could almost swear she heard someone or something moving through the forest, but she couldn't be sure. Occasionally she would also see X23 sniffing the air, and then she would press onward.

"What's it like, being able to smell like that?" Jill asked in spite of herself, trying to keep her voice down.

X23 said nothing.

"Yeah, okay," Jill murmured. Then all of a sudden, for no reason at all, she sneezed explosively.

X23 growled and turned back to her. "Shhhhhhh!"

"Sorry."

"next time you m have to sneeze sneeze into your arm."

"And get it dirty? No way." Jill humphed slightly.

"you're already dirty," she pointed out. "what's a little more?"

"Then I don't want to get my face dirty."

"Whatever.' she climbed over a rock and jumped down behind it.

"Wait!" Jill simply used her bionic legs to jump over the rock-and nearly landed on X23. Her feet landed firmly on the ground, missing the other girl by inches.

"Watch what you're doing!" she snapped.

"Oh so-rry," Jill retorted. "I'm just trying to keep up."

"Can you do it without trying to kill me?" she demanded. 'You have eyes, use them."

"Fine," Jill said, just wanting to stop arguing. "So where are we going?"

"Does it matter?"

"I guess not." She almost added, "I don't even know why I'm following you" but she didn't. "So who are you running from? If it's just some stalker or something, let's just gang up on the guy and teach him not to bother you anymore."

"It's not that easy."

"Then what is going on?"

"you ask too many questions."

"You asked me a lot of questions first." Jill sighed. "Look... Wolverine told me everything that happened to him, so... would I be right in assuming that something similar happened to you? Do these people want you as a weapon or something?" Dang, THAT sounded familiar...

"No they don't want me as a weapon," she replied. 'i am a weapon."

"So am I," Jill blurted. "I mean... someone who hates mutants made me into this fighting machine to hunt down mutants. But... I killed him, and then I ran away." Why was she telling her this?

It's because you're both very similar, part of her brain told her.

X23 looked at her but said nothing.

"Look, um... maybe we should just keep going," Jill suggested finally.

"I was waiting for you." she made a face then turned away, walking off without looking back. 'Either keep up or go away."

Jill didn't even hesitate; she hurried to keep up.

_A/N_

_So, before I continue with this story, I have to ask: Is anyone even reading this thing?  
_


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